Overview
- The package enables EU-backed return hubs in non-EU countries for people with return orders, a measure flagged as legally and human-rights sensitive.
- Return decisions would be mutually recognized on a voluntary basis at first, with a pathway to make recognition mandatory later.
- People under return orders must cooperate with authorities or face penalties including benefit cuts, travel document confiscation, lengthy or indefinite entry bans, and possible detention.
- A solidarity pool for 2026 sets a reference target of 21,000 relocations or €420 million in financial or other support to ease pressure on frontline states.
- Plans include faster border rejections for clearly unfounded claims and potential transfers to third-country centres, with the Netherlands pursuing a facility in Uganda that Germany could join.