EU Moves to Tighten Migration Policies, Establish External Return Centres

Brussels: European lawmakers and European Union member states reached an agreement on Monday to tighten the bloc's migration policy, allowing member states to establish external centres to which irregular migrants can be transferred. According to Emirates News Agency, the new legislation includes a package of measures aimed at accelerating return procedures and permits countries that wish to do so to establish centres outside Europe for returning individuals whose asylum applications have been rejected. The agreement is expected to be submitted for a final vote in the European Parliament and by member states in the coming weeks before being formally adopted. Several European countries, including Denmark, Austria, and Germany, have already begun examining potential locations for such centres, including Rwanda, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.