Five Northern European Countries Form Alliance to Accelerate Joint Deportation of Illegal Migrants

Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland have agreed to cooperate in the deportation of migrants who have entered their countries illegally. Using Frontex assistance, these individuals will be returned to their countries of origin, as reported by Spiegel.

After a two-day meeting of justice and migration ministers in Copenhagen, Danish Immigration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek stated that representatives of the five countries will regularly convene in the future to improve collaboration with other nations on the repatriation and deportation of illegal migrants.

Consequently, the states plan to carry out joint deportation flights in the future, organized in cooperation with the EU border agency, Frontex, to return migrants without residency permits to their countries of origin.

Responsible ministers also agreed on a joint assistance program for "illegal migrants" who remain in North Africa. If they voluntarily return to their country of origin, assistance with reintegration will be offered, said Danish Immigration Minister Dybvad Bek.

All five Northern European countries share a "common interest" in "ensuring the deportation of foreign nationals without residency permits," Dybvad Bek said. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden must "prevent them from traveling through our countries under the authorities' supervision."

Denmark has pursued restrictive immigration policies for years, while other Scandinavian countries have recently strengthened their measures.

When she first took office in 2019, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen aimed to reduce the number of asylum seekers to zero. In 2020, Denmark was also the first European country to revoke residence permits for Syrian refugees from the Damascus region, citing improved security conditions around the Syrian capital.

Previously, ministers of migration and internal affairs from Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Malta welcomed the EU's previous decision on migration issues but called for more resources to be allocated to these efforts.

According to the report, ministers participating in the informal Med 5 group emphasized the importance of cooperation with these countries and stressed the European Union's need to adopt a tough stance on returning illegal migrants to their countries of origin.