The heads of 19 EU member states have endorsed plans to create return hubs in non-EU countries for rejected asylum applicants.

In an open letter issued Friday 19 June amid the Brussels summit they pledged to drive these proposals forward themselves.

The document carries signatures from Austria Belgium Bulgaria Cyprus the Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Greece Hungary Italy Latvia Lithuania Malta the Netherlands Poland Romania Slovenia Slovakia and Sweden.

Denmark and Italy led the push. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated separately that her government had long championed the concept.

"We once stood largely alone yet now many others stand with us" she noted. The aim is to launch the hubs before year end following the model of Italy's five-year 670 million euro arrangement with Albania.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis likewise welcomed the talks.

He observed that countries once open to migrants have altered course after witnessing effects on social systems and crime.

Migration talks were slated to be brief until an exchange between Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Spain's Pedro Sanchez broadened debate on returns and solidarity a diplomat said.

"We see no solution here" Sanchez remarked after the meeting.

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at the close that such centers fail and breach core European principles.

German leader Friedrich Merz notably did not sign despite his government's focus on swift Syrian repatriations.

Renewed attention follows adoption of a fresh EU deportation law earlier in the week amid calls from far-right lawmakers.

The measure passed 418 to 218.