(Adnkronos) – A European Parliament vote on Thursday backing plans to allow European Union nations to create ‘return hubs’ or detention centres outside the block for failed asylum-seekers and to impose tougher penalties on illegal immigrants is “an important step”, Italy’s far-right premier Giorgia Meloni wrote on X.
“The European Parliament gives a green light to new repatriation rules: Europe is finally heading in the right direction, one that Italy has strongly supported,” read the post.
“Return hubs will allow the possibility of illegal immigrants being repatriated to third countries, not only to their homelands,” the post continued.
“This is is an important step to make repatriations more effective, strengthen border control, and give Europe a migration policy that is finally more credible,” the post underlined.
The European Parliament voted 389 to 206 on Thursday to adopt a reform backed by a coalition of centre-right and far-right groups – the EU Return Regulation – paving the way for negotiations with member states.
The reform introduces harsher penalties for illegal immigrants to who refuse to leave, including longer detention periods and entry bans.
Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Greece and Denmark are among countries already looking at deals with African nations to host such detention centres.
Critics warn the planned ‘return hubs’ breach international legal standards and put migrants at serious risk of human rights violations.
