EU seals deal on ‘return hubs’ in migration overhaul

Negotiators have clinched a deal on the EU’s long-awaited returns regulation, paving the way for the creation of controversial ‘return hubs’ outside the bloc as part of a broader overhaul of deportation rules.

Under the agreement, EU countries will be able to establish return centres – facilities abroad where rejected asylum seekers and irregular migrants can be transferred before deportation – provided an arrangement is in place with a host country.

The breakthrough follows weeks of negotiations that nearly collapsed last month over a dispute about when the new rules should take effect.

As part of the compromise, several key provisions will enter into force immediately. These include the legal framework for return hubs, the creation of a “European Return Order” designed to facilitate recognition of deportation decisions across EU countries – although participation will initially remain voluntary – and provisions aimed at strengthening the use of migration policy…