Dispute over right-wing votes EU relies on deportation centers outside Europe
A controversial asylum project receives a majority in the EU Parliament. Particularly explosive: the decision was also reached with votes from right-wing parties.
26.03.2026, 13:00
26.03.2026, 13:25
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- The EU Parliament has approved a proposal for deportation centers outside the EU.
- The majority was also achieved with the support of right-wing parties, which has led to political criticism.
- The project is now the basis for further negotiations with the EU member states.
A majority has been found in the European Parliament for a tightening of asylum policy. The focus is on a proposal that would make it possible in future to transfer rejected asylum seekers to so-called return centers outside the European Union. 389 MEPs voted in favor of the text, 206 voted against. 32 abstained.
The vote is particularly explosive because the text was not only adopted with the support of the right, but also voted with them. This was recently revealed by research carried out by the German Press Agency, which revealed, among other things, agreements in a chat group and a personal meeting between MEPs. The EPP Group under the leadership of German CSU politician Manfred Weber had actually always given the impression that it ruled out cooperation with parties such as the AfD.
According to his own statements, EPP group leader Weber was not aware of the events. According to dpa information, the CSU politician has made it clear internally that the contacts with the AfD were unacceptable and must not be repeated. He told the newspapers of the Bavarian media group this week: "The firewall is important and it stands." The AfD stands against everything he is fighting for politically.
Obligation to cooperate for rejected asylum seekers
In addition to the so-called "return hubs", the new law is also intended to create clearer rules for repatriation and new incentives for the voluntary return of migrants. Rejected asylum seekers are also to be obliged to actively cooperate in their repatriation. Migrants who refuse to cooperate would have to reckon with the reduction or withdrawal of maintenance payments or the confiscation of travel documents throughout Europe.
According to the plans, those obliged to leave the country could also be detained for up to 24 months, for example if they do not cooperate. An additional extension would be possible in the event of security risks.
While EU member states are currently not obliged to recognize deportation orders issued by another member state, the text now voted on in Parliament stipulates that such mutual recognition will be mandatory from 2027 - unless it is contrary to public policy. This point is controversial among the member states.
Agreement with social democrats and liberals not reached
The legislative project proposed by the European Commission last year had been stuck in Parliament for months because the EPP, Social Democrats and Liberals were unable to reach an agreement. One reason was that the Social Democrats did not want to agree to the concept of "return hubs" in its current form. The three party families are actually working together in a kind of informal coalition. They have a narrow majority in parliament, which should make cooperation with the far right superfluous.
After the failure of the negotiations, French MP François-Xavier Bellamy put forward the proposal, which was supported by the right wing. According to dpa information, an employee of the EPP group and an employee of Bellamy exchanged views on this in a WhatsApp group with the right-wing groups.
