Denmark aims to send migrants outside EU by 2027
Five EU nations meet to finalise plans for return centres for asylum seekers
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Udlændinge- og integrationsminister Morten Bødskov (S). (Foto: © Niels Ahlmann Olesen, Berlingske/Ritzau Scanpix)
Photograph: DR (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Denmark anticipates readiness by the end of 2027 to transfer migrants without legal residency to a return hub located outside the European Union.
- Five EU member states, including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Greece, are collaborating to finalise plans for these external return facilities.
- Ministers from these five nations convened in Copenhagen to deliberate on the establishment and operational aspects of the deportation centres.
- The EU Parliament approved new rules in June that enable the creation of deportation centres beyond EU borders.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 11 of the 25 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
41/100
25 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 3 of the 14 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Denmark expects to be ready by the end of 2027 to send migrants without legal residency to a return hub outside the European Union. Five EU countries, including Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Greece, are preparing to finalise plans for such facilities. Ministers from these five countries met in Copenhagen to discuss the establishment and practical functioning of these deportation centres.
The Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Morten Bødskov, stated that Denmark is in dialogue with partner countries, but did not disclose their identities. The EU Parliament voted in June to approve new rules that pave the way for the establishment of deportation centres outside the EU. The meeting in Copenhagen was attended by the Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Morten Bødskov, and the Greek Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, among others.
Disagreement on timeline certainty
The Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Morten Bødskov, stated that Denmark expects to be ready by the end of 2027 to send migrants without legal residency to a return hub outside the European Union. DR reported that Bødskov described this as his goal, adjusting a previous statement that suggested certainty. Ekstra Bladet reported Bødskov expects the first foreigner to be sent to a deportation centre in 2027.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention the EU Parliament's vote in June to approve new rules that pave the way for the establishment of deportation centres outside the EU. The left-rated digest does not mention the specific date of the EU Parliament vote.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 4 Sept 2026, 09:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
3 rated outlets
- The left-rated report from DR highlighted concerns from the opposition party Enhedslisten that rejected asylum seekers could end up in "autocratic, reactionary states" with no guarantee of their treatment. It also noted that Danish People's Party described the government's plans as "old wine in new bottles." The report mentioned that Denmark's ambition is to send approximately 100 rejected asylum seekers to a centre outside the EU within the next few years. It also included a figure stating that as of 31 July 2026, 364 rejected asylum seekers were residing in Denmark.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports from WTVB and Reuters stated that Denmark expects to be ready by the end of 2027 to send migrants without legal residency to a return hub outside the European Union, with five EU countries preparing to finalise plans for such facilities. The cphpost.dk digest also reported that ministers from five EU countries were meeting in Copenhagen to advance plans for transferring rejected asylum seekers to a return hub outside EU borders.
Right
8 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports from news-pravda.com, The Straits Times, Jyllands-Posten, berlingske.dk, BT, avisendanmark.dk, protothema.gr, and iefimerida.gr focused on Denmark's expectation to be ready by the end of 2027 to send migrants without legal residency to a return hub outside the European Union. Several of these reports mentioned that ministers would meet on Friday to discuss plans to send foreigners without legal residence to deportation centres. The Greek reports from protothema.gr and iefimerida.gr specified that Greece, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands participate in this cooperation scheme.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Denmark aims to send migrants outside EU by 2027?
- Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 21% are rated left, 22% are rated centre, 57% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 25. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Denmark aims to send migrants outside EU by 2027 left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 14 rated outlets on this story, 21% are rated left, 22% are rated centre, 57% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Denmark aims to send migrants outside EU by 2027 biased?
- Denmark aims to send migrants outside EU by 2027 is one event reported by 25 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Denmark aims to send migrants outside EU by 2027?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Denmark aims to send migrants outside EU by 2027?
- 25 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- When does Denmark expect to send migrants to a return hub outside the EU?
- Denmark expects to be ready by the end of 2027 to send migrants without legal residency to a return hub outside the European Union. This timeline was stated by the Danish Minister for Immigration and Integration, Morten Bødskov.
- Which EU countries are involved in planning these return centres?
- Five EU countries are involved in planning these return centres: Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Greece. Ministers from these nations met in Copenhagen to discuss the establishment and practical functioning of the deportation centres.
- What is the legal basis for establishing deportation centres outside the EU?
- The EU Parliament voted in June to approve new rules that pave the way for the establishment of deportation centres outside the EU. These new rules are intended to make it easier to send individuals without legal residency out of the EU.
Read it at the source
25 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
3- Denmark Expects to Start Sending Migrants to a Return Center Outside the EU by the End of 2027. (opens fakti.bg in a new tab)
- EU Deportation Centres: Save the Children Condemns Deportation Centres Outside the EU (opens Zeit Online in a new tab)
Zeit Online — is Zeit Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Bødskov Puts His Head on the Block: 'The First Foreigner Will Be Sent to a Removal Center Outside the EU in 2027' (opens DR in a new tab)
Centre
3- Denmark expects to send first migrants to return hub outside EU in 2027 (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- Denmark expects to send first migrants to return hub outside EU in 2027 (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- Bødskov Expects the First Foreigner to Be Sent to a Deportation Center in 2027 (opens Ekstra Bladet in a new tab)
Ekstra Bladet — is Ekstra Bladet biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
8- Germany and Four Other EU States Discuss Controversial Plan: Centres for Migrants Outside the Union (opens REALITATEA.NET in a new tab)
REALITATEA.NET — is REALITATEA.NET biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Denmark will be ready to send illegal immigrants to refugee centers outside the EU by the end of 2027, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration said (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Denmark expects to send first migrants to return hub outside EU in 2027 (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Bødskov Expects the First Foreigner to Be Sent to a Deportation Center in 2027 (opens Jyllands-Posten in a new tab)
Jyllands-Posten — is Jyllands-Posten biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Bødskov Expects the First Foreigner to Be Sent to a Deportation Center in 2027 (opens BT in a new tab)
- Bødskov Expects the First Foreigner to Be Sent to a Deportation Center in 2027 (opens berlingske.dk in a new tab)
berlingske.dk — is berlingske.dk biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Plevris in Copenhagen for the "Core Group" Meeting on the Creation of Return Hubs in Third Countries (opens Protothema in a new tab)
Protothema — is Protothema biased? Our profile of this outlet
- At the "Core Group" Meeting, Plevris - Immigration and the Creation of Return Hubs in Countries Outside the EU in the Spotlight - iefimerida.gr (opens Iefimerida in a new tab)
Iefimerida — is Iefimerida biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
11- Several European Countries to Set up Centres for the Deportation of Migrants Outside EU Borders (opens CursDeGuvernare.ro in a new tab)
CursDeGuvernare.ro — is CursDeGuvernare.ro biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Five EU countries are meeting in Copenhagen to plan removal center for rejected asylum-seekers outside the bloc (opens cphpost.dk in a new tab)
cphpost.dk — is cphpost.dk biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Talks Between Greece and 4 EU Countries for Migrant Return Centers Outside Europe - Denmark Ready by 2027 (opens Capital.gr in a new tab)
Capital.gr — is Capital.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Deportation Centres for Migrants to Non-EU European Countries. What Will Follow (opens Stirile Pro TV in a new tab)
Stirile Pro TV — is Stirile Pro TV biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Bødskov Expects the First Foreigner to Be Sent to a Deportation Center in 2027 (opens avisendanmark.dk in a new tab)
avisendanmark.dk — is avisendanmark.dk biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Austria and EU Partners Discuss Migrant Return Centres (opens Tiroler Tageszeitung Online in a new tab)
Tiroler Tageszeitung Online — is Tiroler Tageszeitung Online biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Austria and EU Partners Discuss Migrant Return Centres (opens suedtirolnews.it in a new tab)
suedtirolnews.it — is suedtirolnews.it biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Austria and the EU Discuss Migrants' Return Centres (opens vienna.at in a new tab)
Show 3 more
- Thanos Plevris in Copenhagen: "Core Group" Meeting on Migrant Return Centers in Third Countries (opens parapolitika.gr in a new tab)
parapolitika.gr — is parapolitika.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Plevris in Copenhagen for the "Core Group" Meeting on the Creation of Return Hubs in Third Countries (opens Creta24 in a new tab)
- Th. Plevris in Copenhagen for the "Core Group" Meeting on Return Hubs (opens Business Daily in a new tab)
Business Daily — is Business Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

