BRUSSELS — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday France will not back the creation of migrant “return hubs” in third countries, casting doubt on their practicality while acknowledging other nations’ choices. Speaking in Brussels at the close of a two-day EU summit, Macron said he favored a stronger return policy but had never seen an overseas return centre that worked.
The European Parliament recently approved a migration reform intended to speed up deportations and permit offshore detention facilities, a measure critics argue undermines asylum protections. Macron questioned whether such hubs fit with Europe’s founding values, saying he was unsure they reflected what Europe stands for and doubted their effectiveness.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters after the summit that Madrid also opposes return hubs, placing it among a minority of EU states on the matter. Sánchez warned the hubs would squander scarce economic resources, a cost Europe can ill afford.