Germany and four other European Union member states are negotiating with Rwanda over the establishment of centres for rejected asylum seekers, as European governments seek new ways to implement deportations outside the bloc.
According to information obtained by SPIEGEL and the ARD magazine “Report Mainz,” a delegation representing European governments is due to travel to Rwanda next week for technical discussions on so-called “return hubs”. The talks are expected to focus on the practical details of a possible arrangement.
The initiative has been driven by a group of countries that describe themselves as “the implementers”. Alongside Germany, the group comprises Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands. The countries aim to identify a partner for such arrangements by the end of the year. Italy has also expressed interest in reaching a similar agreement with Rwanda in recent weeks.
The discussions follow a significant change at EU level. In June, the European Parliament approved a new EU return regulation establishing a legal basis for “return hubs” in third countries. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt subsequently said he considered initial agreements possible this year. Such centres, however, can only be established with the participation of a third country.
At present, the negotiations with Rwanda appear to be focused exclusively on return hubs. Under the proposed model, people whose asylum applications have been rejected in Europe would be accommodated in Rwanda. Some countries, including Austria, have indicated that they would also be open to so-called asylum centres, under which partner countries could decide on asylum applications made by people who had fled to Europe and, where appropriate, grant them protection.
The proposed arrangement faces a significant precedent. Rwanda signed a similar agreement with the United Kingdom in 2022, under which Britain intended to pay for the accommodation of several hundred asylum seekers while their asylum procedures were conducted in Rwanda.
That plan was halted in 2023 when the Supreme Court in London ruled against it. The judges feared that asylum seekers would not receive sufficient protection in Rwanda and could potentially be deported onwards to other countries or to their countries of origin.
The Labour government that came to power in 2024 eventually terminated the agreement. Then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as the “most shocking waste of taxpayers’ money” she had ever seen. The costs had reached the equivalent of around €800 million.
A European agreement with Rwanda could likewise face legal challenges. The Bertelsmann Foundation classifies Rwanda as a “hard autocracy”, while human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch accuse the government of suppressing opposition. UN experts have also reported that Rwandan armed forces are supporting the M23 rebel militia in the war in neighbouring Congo.
Uganda is being considered as another possible destination for European return hubs. The Netherlands has already signed a letter of intent, although some partner states have reportedly become increasingly critical of the prospect because of human rights concerns. Among the issues cited are the persecution of queer people and the January raid by security forces on the home of opposition leader Bobi Wine, who subsequently fled the country.
The Rwandan government confirmed that “initial talks” had taken place with European governments over a broadly defined migration agreement, but said no decisions had been made. The interior ministries in Berlin and Vienna also confirmed that discussions about return hubs were under way, while stressing the confidentiality surrounding potential partner states.
The talks therefore remain at an early stage, but the proposed Rwanda arrangement signals how far European governments are prepared to explore third-country solutions for rejected asylum seekers, despite the legal and human rights questions that such policies could face.
