Brussels analyzes “financial and legal” aspects of deportation centers such as those where justice has stopped Meloni

First she opened the door, then she showed her support in a ‘parallel summit’ and now Ursula von der Leyen confirms that the European Commission is already working on the controversial deportation centers for migrants outside the EU such as those that the far-right Giorgia Melonia has created in Albania. The Italian justice system has stopped these aspirations of the Italian Government, which have also been questioned by human rights organizations. But the pressure from European countries to copy this initiative has been multiplying and Von der Leyen, who initially maintained that they had no legal reserve, is now analyzing the formulas.

“We have deepened our analysis of innovative ways to fight illegal immigration,” says Von der Leyen, using the euphemism that has become common in the tightening of immigration policy. “Discussions are taking place with member states, including at last week’s Justice and Home Affairs Council, on the development of the concept of return centers in third countries. We are studying the best way to introduce the possibility of establishing these centers into the legal framework. We have to examine the legal, operational and practical aspects, as well as the financial implications of these centers while respecting fundamental rights and the principle of non-refoulement,” he says in a letter sent to the leaders of the 27 before the meeting of the European Council this Thursday.

In his examination in the European Parliament, the new Commissioner for the Interior, the Austrian Magnus Brunner, showed a “receptive attitude to new ideas” in reference to the so-called migrant return centers, but limited them to people who have already been denied the right to asylum to the EU and proposed that the management be carried out in accordance with international organizations, such as UNHCR.

In Meloni’s experiment, migrants who had been rescued at sea were sent to these centers in Albania, calling into question asylum rules. When the first migrants were deported to these centers, the Italian justice system dealt Meloni the first blow and considered that the detentions were illegal. The far-right prime minister tried to shield these centers with a decree that ended up in the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), which will have the last word. Meanwhile, he has brought back the officials he had assigned to the centers, whose construction cost 65 million euros and 120 million were planned for annual management.

The European Commission opened the door to promoting centers of this type following the offensive launched by 15 countries, with governments of different political colors. But it is not the only tightening of immigration policy that Brussels plans. In the letter, Von der Leyen commits to putting new legislation on returns of people without papers on the table before the next leaders’ meeting scheduled for mid-March. Among the ideas that hover over the development of this directive is the possibility of sanctioning migrants who do not collaborate in their repatriation.

“The objective is to simplify, streamline and make the return process more effective, to bring it into line with the simplified asylum process of the Pact. [de Migración y Asilo que se acordó el año pasado y que se implementará en 2026]. The new legislation will address the rights and obligations of returnees, encouraging their cooperation and making clear the consequences of lack of cooperation,” warns Von der Leyen, who recognizes in the text that this year the returns of sub-Saharans have doubled compared to 2023. and they have quadrupled compared to 2021.

Despite the general hardening of anti-immigration positions, which coincide with the rise of far-right forces on the continent, Von der Leyen herself recognizes that arrivals have been significantly reduced on practically all routes and boasts of the controversial agreements reached with third countries, such as Tunisia or Morocco, to stop departures to Europe.

“The Commission has paid particular attention to the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic routes, given the continued increase in irregular arrivals. With Senegal, we have highlighted cooperation on migration as a key EU interest, with funding of €30 million to support border and migration management and the fight against smuggling. Significant progress is being made with Mauritania, where all components of the package of measures I announced in February have been contracted and the first payment of the €100 million budget support program has been made. With Morocco we maintain close cooperation on migration, supported by a budget support program of 152 million euros that will be completed at the beginning of next year,” summarizes the German.

Von der Leyen was precisely in Türkiye this Tuesday, one of those countries with which the EU has agreements, despite the fact that she questions its treatment of human rights and denounces its authoritarianism. In an appearance alongside the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Von der Leyen highlighted the partnership in trade matters and recalled that Turkey is a “key partner” in controlling migration in the Mediterranean.

The trip, on which Von der Leyen went alone on this occasion after the sexist incident of 2021 when the Turkish Government only reserved a seat for the then president of the European Council, Charles Michel, was organized after the fall of the Bashar regime. Assad in Syria. The president of the European Commission has estimated the assistance that the EU has provided to Turkey since 2011 to support refugees and reception at 10 billion euros and has announced an extra 1 billion for education and health.