Nineteen European Union leaders, spearheaded by Italy and Denmark, have formally urged the bloc’s institutions to accelerate the implementation of the newly adopted Return Regulation, including the establishment of return hubs in non-EU countries. In a joint letter delivered on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels, the signatories called for “concrete results” and “solutions based in third countries as soon as possible”, explicitly citing the operational Italy–Albania cooperation as a model.

The letter, signed by heads of government from a broad coalition spanning the Nordics, the Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean, argues that external processing and return centres are the most effective way to dismantle people-smuggling networks and eliminate incentives for irregular migration. The group, which includes Austria, the Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Sweden among others, committed to “personally lead” the effort and encouraged the European Commission to provide financial support. The initiative builds on a pre-summit meeting of 14 like-minded states, where participants discussed joint hubs and the rapid launch of pilot projects.

However, the push for offshore centres has exposed a sharp divide within the Union. French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters after the summit that France does not support return hubs in third countries, questioning both their effectiveness and their compatibility with European principles. “I have never seen a return centre in a third country actually work,” Macron said, adding that Paris would oppose the use of the EU budget to finance such facilities. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez similarly rejected the approach, describing the hubs as “an absolutely ineffective response, a deception” that sends the wrong signal to countries of origin and transit. Madrid instead advocates for deeper cooperation with source countries and has pursued a large-scale regularization of irregular migrants already on its territory—a policy that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni openly criticised during the summit dinner, arguing that national decisions in the border-free Schengen area have systemic consequences for all member states.

The clash reflects fundamentally different readings of the new Return Regulation, which the European Parliament approved earlier this week with a majority that stretched from the centre-right to the far right, while lawmakers from Macron’s and Sánchez’s political families voted against. The regulation institutionalises the possibility of transferring individuals subject to final return orders to third-country centres while they await repatriation. Proponents view this as a necessary tool to raise return rates and restore public confidence; opponents warn of legal grey zones, human rights risks, and strained relations with African and other partner nations. The letter’s signatories also invited the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration to participate actively in the process. With the legal framework now in place, attention shifts to the Commission’s willingness to fund such projects and to the bilateral negotiations that individual member states may pursue. The dossier is expected to remain a central point of contention in upcoming Council formations.