EU leaders sign joint statement in support of Ukraine - Europe live

Key events Majority of EU states call for 'full use' of offshore deportation hubs for migrants Brussels correspondent Separately, a majority of EU member states have called for “full use” of new possibilities for offshore deportation hubs for people with no right to stay in the bloc. A drone view shows the Italian navy ship Libra, carrying migrants as part of a deal with Italy to process asylum-seekers caught near Italian waters, as it arrives in Shengjin, Albania. Photograph: Florion Goga/Reuters In a letter organised by Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, 19 member states urged action in setting up return hubs in other countries “as soon as possible” The letter addressed to heads of EU institutions and EU leaders calls for support for the member states to set up return hubs, including financial. UN agencies, including the UN agency for refugees and the International Organisation for Migration are also asked to engage. Earlier this month, EU lawmakers agreed on a regulation to speed up deportations of people with no right to stay, a law that also created the possibility for offshore “return hubs”. EU member states have been in talks with some African countries to host such centres, but so far none have been announced. The return hubs would be for people denied asylum in the EU, pending their return to their home country. …