Czechia Backs EU Plan for Migrant Deportation Centers Following Ceuta Incident

The Czech Ministry of the Interior has voiced support for the initiative to create European return centers for migrants in third countries, modeled on Italy's approach. "Measures in third countries, including return centers, are one of the effective ways to strengthen the security of the EU's external borders," said Czech Interior Ministry spokesman Adam Rözler.

Debate over such centers flared up again following an incident on the Spanish-Moroccan border: in late July, an estimated 80,000 migrants, mostly young men, reportedly crossed illegally into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the African continent.

Italy's Initiative and Czechia's Position

Following the incident, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi urged his European counterparts to have the EU begin setting up its own return centers based on the Italian model. According to Rözler, Piantedosi made this call at an emergency meeting of the Council of Interior Ministers, and Czechia fully supports the idea. Exactly what form such centers should take and where they would be located remains a matter for further negotiation.

Italy's center in Albania, opened in October 2024 under an agreement with that country, was originally intended for migrants awaiting the processing of asylum applications. It was estimated to handle up to 36,000 people a year. However, since April 2025 the facility has served a different purpose — it now takes in exclusively those slated for return from the EU to their home countries, and only a few hundred people have passed through it so far. The plans have drawn criticism from human rights organizations, as well as legal disputes over whether it is lawful to transfer a person who has entered EU territory to a country outside the bloc.

Ceuta as a Warning Sign

"The events in Ceuta are deeply concerning. A breach of the EU's external border is a serious security threat that clearly shows the current European tools are not equipped to handle crises of this scale," commented Czech Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar (ANO movement).

The incident even prompted a joint statement from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a right-wing leader, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, a Social Democrat. "No one can deny the negative consequences of illegal migration for our societies: rising crime, strain on public services, and eroded public trust," the two leaders said.

Back in mid-June, the European Parliament agreed to tighten migration policy, giving the EU the ability to transfer migrants to return centers in third countries once authorities have already ordered their deportation. In mid-August, Meloni and Frederiksen also agreed that "it is necessary to get return centers in third countries and other unconventional solutions outside Europe up and running."

Reportedly, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands are already in talks to establish similar return centers. One such center is planned to open in Uganda, in East Africa — possibly as early as next year.

Source: novinky.cz