The "Global Refugee Crisis 2026" report, published Monday in Berlin, is intended to be a wake-up call, according to its co-editor Petra Bendel from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Bavaria). At its presentation, she expressed concern about the impact of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), a legal framework adopted in 2024 that will become legally binding across all EU member states on June 12: "We fear a further expansion of detention-like accommodation for asylum seekers at the external borders," Bendel said.
She was especially critical of the plan to concentrate refugees found to have no prospect of asylum in "return hubs," repatriation centers located in third countries outside of the European Union (EU). These are a central feature of tougher migration policy, that Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party has described as "innovative."
To set up such centers, however, the EU would be dependent on "cooperation partners," which it hopes to find in Africa. Tunisia and Egypt have been mentioned as options, as they are separated from Europe only by the Mediterranean Sea. But more remote countries, such as Rwanda and Uganda, are reportedly being considered too.Tighter EU migration rules divide Palestinian familiesTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
