Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a joint statement Monday rejecting uncontrolled immigration [1].
The agreement signals a coordinated effort between Southern and Northern European nations to shift migration policy toward stricter enforcement and external processing.
In the statement released on Aug. 10, the two leaders denounced the current state of migration flows [1]. They called for the establishment of return hubs in third countries to manage the repatriation of migrants [2]. This mechanism would move the processing of asylum seekers and the execution of deportations outside the borders of the European Union.
Meloni and Frederiksen said the measures are necessary to defend shared European values [1]. The leaders said that uncontrolled migration threatens the stability and cultural integrity of member states [2]. By proposing these hubs, the two nations aim to create a deterrent for migrants attempting to reach Europe via irregular routes.
While the two leaders represent different political traditions, their alignment on migration reflects a growing trend across the bloc. Both Italy and Denmark have historically faced significant pressure from migration arrivals—Italy as a primary entry point in the Mediterranean and Denmark through its strict domestic integration laws [1].
The joint statement urges the European Union to adopt these more stringent frameworks at a systemic level [2]. The proposal for third-country hubs follows previous attempts by several EU nations to negotiate bilateral deals with non-EU countries to handle migration processing [1].
Neither leader specified which third countries would be targeted for these hubs, but the statement emphasized that such partnerships must be based on the protection of human rights, and the rule of law [2].
“The two leaders called for the establishment of return hubs in third countries.”
This alignment between Italy and Denmark demonstrates a cross-regional consensus on 'externalization'—the practice of moving border controls and asylum processing outside EU territory. By coordinating their rhetoric, Meloni and Frederiksen are attempting to build a political coalition that could pressure the European Commission to formalize third-country processing hubs as a standard EU policy, potentially shifting the legal and logistical burden of migration management to non-European states.
