This move comes as the EU continues to tighten migration policies after right-wing parties took power in some countries in 2024. S. President Donald Trump and called for the EU to adopt a similar approach.
At the national level, Italy's Cabinet has approved an anti-immigration package that would allow the navy to halt vessels in international waters for up to six months if deemed a threat to public order, return intercepted migrants to countries of origin or third countries, and speed up deportation of foreign nationals convicted of crimes. Italy also operates two migrant detention centers for rejected asylum-seekers in Albania, with one currently holding at least 90 migrants. Broader EU coordination includes an 'informal group' of nations such as Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Greece pursuing deportation center agreements.
Kenya is one country the EU is speaking with regarding such agreements, while Sweden's migration minister has said the conservative ruling coalition approves setting up hubs outside Europe, especially for Afghan and Syrian asylum-seekers. Human rights groups warn that authorities are already illegally pushing back migrants at EU borders and hollowing out their legal protections. The EU already spends millions of dollars to deter migrants before they reach its shores and has supported tens of thousands of Africans returning home, voluntarily or by force.