The European Commission has signaled openness to evaluating concrete proposals for establishing migrant return hubs in third countries, placing the onus on member states to take the next steps. This development comes as Italy's Interior Ministry prepares to present a detailed blueprint for expanding its controversial Albania model across Europe, with potential sites ranging from Uganda to Montenegro.
The Scope of Italy's Proposal:
• EU-Funded Expansion: The proposal seeks EU funding for detention facilities in at least 11 countries, including Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, and Ethiopia.
• Trade Leverage Component: Italy will push for strict enforcement of the GSP+ program starting January 2027, linking tariff benefits for developing nations to their cooperation in accepting deported citizens.
• Limited Track Record: Italy's Albania facility has processed several hundred transfers but has facilitated relatively few successful deportations, with ongoing judicial challenges to detentions complicating operations.
The Albania Experiment: A Cautionary Blueprint
Italy's existing arrangement with Albania offers a preview of what Brussels might evaluate. The Gjader detention center, operating since early 2025 on a former military airbase, currently holds around 70 men in a facility designed for 144. A second site in Shengjin, intended for initial processing, remains empty.
The facility functions under Italian jurisdiction on Albanian soil, managed by the Italian cooperative Medihospes and guarded by over 150 Italian police officers augmented by drone surveillance. Originally conceived to process asylum claims through accelerated border procedures, the center pivoted to a standard detention role after Italian judges repeatedly refused to validate the initial detentions.
The operational record reveals significant friction between ambition and execution. Despite substantial investment and initial projections of processing large numbers of people monthly, the Albania centers have facilitated relatively few successful returns. Every deportee must first be transferred back to Italian territory before removal to their country of origin, adding layers of cost and complexity that undermine the stated efficiency rationale.
Transparency and Oversight Concerns
Detainees have their mobile phones confiscated upon arrival and face severe restrictions on external communication. The facility operates with minimal external oversight despite its unique extraterritorial legal status. The Italian Interior Ministry maintains that operations comply with both Italian and international law, though legal challenges continue in Italian courts.
The Expanded Vision: From Bilateral Deal to Continental System
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi is scheduled to present Italy's hub proposal at an extraordinary EU Home Affairs Council meeting on August 4. The timing follows the late July crisis in Ceuta, where a mass crossing attempt resulted in 71 deaths and renewed calls for tighter migration management across the Union.
The Italian plan identifies Uganda and Montenegro as particularly promising locations. Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands have expressed preliminary interest in the Uganda option, though no formal agreements exist beyond Italy's arrangement with Albania. Montenegro, currently negotiating EU accession, has existing readmission agreements with Russia and Georgia and maintains active talks with Pakistan, Morocco, Algeria, Iran, and Iraq.
Uganda signed a similar agreement with the United States in September 2025, accepting third-country nationals denied American asylum. The Netherlands signed a letter of intent with Uganda in September 2025 to facilitate transit returns.
The GSP+ Leverage Play
Italy's secondary proposal targets the Generalized System of Preferences Plus, a trade framework that eliminates import duties on two-thirds of product categories for developing nations that implement 27 international conventions on human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and governance.
The revised GSP+ regulation, entering force in January 2027, introduces a novel conditionality: the EU can suspend tariff benefits for countries failing to cooperate on readmitting their nationals found illegally present in Europe. Italy wants immediate and rigorous application of this mechanism.
Analysts question the practical impact, noting that most GSP+ beneficiaries are not primary sources of irregular migration to Europe. Eurostat data from 2024 showed only 24% of individuals ordered to leave EU territory actually departed, suggesting that trade pressure alone may prove insufficient without complementary diplomatic and administrative measures.
The Funding Puzzle and Political Divisions
The core tension in Italy's proposal centers on financing. Establishing and operating detention facilities in third countries requires sustained budgetary commitment, and Rome wants Brussels to shoulder the expense through common EU funds rather than bilateral arrangements.
This demand divides the bloc. Italy, Denmark, Austria, Greece, Germany, and the Netherlands support the hub concept in principle, while France and Spain have expressed skepticism in past discussions. The European Commission has emphasized that any proposal must rest on "strategic cooperation with partners along the entire route and in line with the legal framework," language that signals concerns about both legality and diplomatic sustainability.
The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which became fully operational on June 12, 2026, does permit transferring migrants subject to return decisions to hubs in third countries willing to receive them, based on agreements with an EU member state. Unaccompanied minors are excluded. However, the regulation does not mandate EU-wide financing, leaving that question for member states to resolve politically.
Vatican Weighs In Amid Ceuta Tragedy
As the policy debate intensifies, Pope Francis issued a statement expressing "concern" over the "alarming situation" in Ceuta, asking that "through the intercession of Our Lady of Africa, solutions of peace, stability, and justice may be found." The intervention, while diplomatically phrased, signals discomfort within the Catholic hierarchy over enforcement-first migration approaches.
The Ceuta crossing, which occurred on July 30, involved thousands attempting to enter the Spanish enclave from Morocco. The death toll of 71 marks one of the deadliest single incidents at a European external border in recent years, intensifying pressure on governments to demonstrate control while navigating humanitarian obligations.
The Road Ahead
The August 4 Council meeting will test whether Italy's vision can gain sufficient political momentum to move from concept to implementation. The European Commission's measured response—expressing willingness to evaluate "complete proposals" while noting that "the next steps rest with member states"—suggests Brussels is positioning itself as facilitator rather than champion.
For the Albania centers specifically, Minister Piantedosi has indicated an ambition to bring the facilities to fuller operational capacity, contingent on resolving ongoing judicial challenges. Whether the model can scale beyond its current pilot phase remains an open question, one that will shape European migration policy well beyond 2026.
