Belgium, Greece and Austria call on the European Union to reject exceptions to common asylum rules. On Tuesday, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner suggested that the European Union consider legal options for deporting migrants to Syria and Afghanistan.

“Although I know it’s not easy, it is also necessary that we discuss how we can resume deportations to Syria and Afghanistan,” said the far-right politician during a conference of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Vienna.

Karner believes that the EU must better defend its external borders, work more with the countries of origin, and establish a more effective migrant return system. He also stated that it is essential to strengthen cooperation with third countries considered safe and improve the European legal framework to facilitate deportations.

“A functional return policy is an important aspect of a credible migration system,” Karner said, applauding the steps taken in this direction by the European Commission (EC). Previously, EC President Ursula von der Leyen sent a letter to EU capitals to explore the idea of developing return centers outside the EU and called for lessons to be learned from the implementation of the agreement between Italy and Albania.

During the conference in Vienna, Greek Migration Minister Nikos Panayotopoulos agreed with Karner’s conclusions. “What we lack is a comprehensive return policy for rejected migrants,” he said.

The ministers of Austria and Greece, along with Belgium’s Asylum Secretary Nicole de Moor, agreed that the EU must act as a united front and rejected “exceptions” to common asylum rules. This was a veiled message to the Netherlands, whose new government wants to distance itself from European regulations.

Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Deputy High Commissioner for Protection at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), explained that any return to Syria or Afghanistan must be voluntary and rejected any forced repatriations.

“We have publicly said there should be no return to Afghanistan or Syria. And we would be very concerned if EU states carried out such returns. Voluntary return is correct. We know that a significant number of people are returning spontaneously to Syria. We agree with that… But we would oppose any form of forced return,” she stated on the sidelines of the conference.

Menikdiwela acknowledged that European states face challenges repatriating people who have not been granted refugee status and assured that UNHCR can help negotiate return or readmission agreements, as long as international norms are respected.

The expert also reminded that UNHCR agreed to oversee the implementation of the migration agreement between Italy and Albania because Rome still retains responsibility and the legal obligation to protect people transferred to the Balkan country.

Menikdiwela noted that Italy retains jurisdiction over the migrants in Albania, which distinguishes this agreement from others, such as those involving Australia or the failed one between the United Kingdom and Rwanda, where the receiving countries take on legal responsibility for asylum seekers in exchange for money.

“We are monitoring the agreement between Italy and Albania to see how it is being applied. We are in Albania. We are also in the centers and on the boats, supervising the situation of these people, how they are intercepted, how they are treated, and how their applications are handled,” she concluded.

The ICMPD is an international organization based in Vienna with 21 member states, including Germany, Turkey, Poland, the Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, and Austria.