19 EU countries call on EU to fund 'return hubs'

"Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden called on the Commission to make the changes possible. "Specifically, the EU countries want ... the Commission to help ensure, going forward, that the financing of, among other things, return centres can be done using EU funds," the Danish immigration ministry said in a statement, with the signed letter sent to the Commission attached."

""The work is not done, and I'm glad that there are now 19 countries that stand behind a letter calling on the EU system to provide diplomatic and economic help to ensure that the new and innovative solutions -- such as return centres -- will become a reality," Danish Immigration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said in a statement."

""For years, Denmark has worked hard to persuade other European countries of Danish ideas such as moving the processing of asylum applications outside Europe, as well as other ideas involving cooperation with third countries outside the EU," the ministry added. "The group of EU countries that support such new and innovative solutions has steadily expanded," it said."

Earlier this month the European Union tightened its immigration policy. Nineteen EU countries urged the European Commission to finance return hubs outside the bloc to process and repatriate failed asylum-seekers. Interior ministers from the 27-member bloc approved a package on December 8 that includes opening return hubs and imposing harsher penalties on migrants who refuse to leave European territory. The 19 countries asked the Commission to enable financing of return centres using EU funds and attached a signed letter calling for diplomatic and economic support. The European Parliament must still vote on the measures. Denmark, holding the EU presidency, promoted processing asylum applications outside Europe and cooperation with third countries.

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