Valletta: Return hubs in third countries are about to become part of European law after the Council gave final approval to the new Return Regulation, according to Anadolu Agency’s report dated 1 October 2026. The regulation lets member states send people with a final removal order to centres outside the Union under individual agreements with partner countries.
The deal behind the text came earlier. EU Perspectives reported that negotiators reached a provisional agreement late on 1 June 2026, after Parliament set its position on 26 March and the Council on 8 December 2025. The two reports do not explain how those dates fit together, and neither gives a vote count.
Safeguards are part of the design. Both reports say unaccompanied minors are excluded from return hubs. Anadolu says agreements may only be concluded with countries that respect human rights and the principle of non-refoulement, while EU Perspectives notes that no official list of partner countries has been published.
Detention is the sharpest change in the return hubs regulation. EU Perspectives says detention can last up to two years, with a possible six-month extension, and non-governmental organisations calculate that it could reach 30 months where removal remains reasonably likely. Anadolu says people who pose a security risk may be held for longer than 24 months, and that member states may impose an indefinite entry ban where justified and proportionate.
The regulation also creates a European Return Order that carries the key elements of a national return decision. Recognition between member states starts as voluntary, and the system will be reviewed three years after entry into force, after which the Commission may propose mandatory recognition. Decisions will be shared through the Schengen Information System.
Criticism of the return hubs concept has been loud. Maria Nyman of Caritas Europa warned of fundamental-rights risks, and civil society groups raise concerns about racial and ethnic profiling and about investigative measures that could include searching homes and electronic devices.
The sources reviewed do not give the Official Journal publication date or confirm every step of the parliamentary procedure, and they do not say how many return hubs governments plan to open. That silence matters, because the practical value of the regulation depends on partner countries that are willing to host the centres, and none has yet been named in an official list. Without such agreements the legal framework would remain largely theoretical for the first months. EU Perspectives says the provisions on the external dimension apply immediately after entry into force and the rest after 12 months.
Return hubs now move from political promise to legal tool. Their real effect will depend on which partner countries sign agreements and whether courts accept the safeguards.
