French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday slammed the idea of creating deportation centres for irregular migrants outside the EU, saying Paris will oppose efforts to have the bloc fund them.
So-called "return hubs" outside the EU's borders are one of the main features of a tightening of migration rules criticised by human rights groups that won the final approval of the European Parliament this week.
"France does not support that policy," Macron told journalists after a summit of European leaders in Brussels, noting the new rules allowed for people to be sent to countries they had no ties to -- which could receive money in turn.
"I'm not sure that's the Europe we want. I'm not sure those are the fundamental principles on which our Europe was built. And I don't believe, for that matter, that it's effective. The proof is that, so far, I haven't seen anyone make it work."
France was in favour of stricter rules to boost returns of people with no right to stay to their country of origin, but would not be building return hubs, he added.
