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Switzerland should also participate: Asylum seekers rejected by the EU should be taken to repatriation centers outside Europe. (Pictured: An Italian-run repatriation center in Albania)
Keystone
The Federal Council should participate in the creation of repatriation centers for asylum seekers in third countries. The Council of States sees this as an effective solution for the repatriation of individuals who no longer have the right to reside in Switzerland.
In March of this year, the European Union tightened its migration policy and approved the concept of so-called “return hubs”: Rejected asylum seekers are to be transferred to centers outside Europe, where they will await repatriation to their country of origin.
As early as the summer of 2024, the Swiss Parliament had approved a similar transit agreement—with the difference that it applied exclusively to Eritreans.
By participating in the implementation of the so-called “return hubs,” the Council of States aims to relieve pressure on the national asylum system and accommodation capacities. On Wednesday, the Council of States adopted a motion to that effect, proposed by Petra Gössi (FDP/SZ), by a vote of 27 to 10, with six abstentions.
“We must create additional tools to ensure that people required to leave the country actually do so,” Gössi said in the Council. Internal security requires clear conditions. Furthermore, the EU has changed course with its new Return Regulation.
Participation in a “return hub” project would enable the internationally coordinated, legally grounded return of rejected asylum seekers and could help relieve the burden on the national asylum system.
Asylum Minister Beat Jans, as well as the left wing of the Council, unsuccessfully moved to reject the motion. While transferring asylum proceedings and deportations to a third country would not be legally impossible with the appropriate legislative amendments, there are numerous risks. For instance, previous initiatives at the European level have not been effective so far. “All return hubs have failed so far,” said Jans.
Given the failure of previous projects, the difficulty of finding a partner country, the potential dependence on that partner country, and the uncertain benefits, the government intends to wait and see for the time being. Furthermore, approaches to outsourcing to third countries would, at best, supplement national systems but not replace them.
In any case, the National Council must first decide on the motion.
17.06.2026, 12:53
