Uzbekistan mentioned again among countries to receive migrants from the EU

Uzbekistan has once again found itself among the countries being considered for receiving migrants from the EU. This refers to people who have been denied the right to remain in the European Union. The initiative is being promoted by a group of five EU countries led by Greece, and the launch of a pilot project is scheduled for the first half of 2027.

This was reported by the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris. According to him, Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands want to establish a mechanism that will allow sending people with rejected asylum applications to third countries outside the EU.

Rwanda, Uganda, and Uzbekistan are mentioned among the possible host countries. However, there are no final agreements on this matter yet.

Plevris emphasized that this does not involve closed centers for migrants. After being denied asylum, a person will be able to either return to their country of origin or be sent to a third country outside the European Union.

The five EU countries expect to launch the pilot mechanism in the first half of 2027 and fully deploy it in the second half of the year. During this period, Greece will hold the presidency of the Council of the EU.

The project is still under development: mechanisms for protecting migrants' rights and funding issues are being discussed. In June, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament provisionally agreed on new rules for the return of third-country nationals, including the possibility of establishing return centers outside the EU, provided there are agreements and compliance with international norms, including the principle of non-refoulement of people to where they might face persecution.

At present, there are no official agreements between the EU and Uzbekistan. Furthermore, the European Union has previously denied reports of negotiations with Tashkent regarding the creation of such centers.