EU talks on 'return hubs' migration reform go into second day

BRUSSELS, Belgium, May 21 (AFP): European Union talks on a migration reform to create so-called "return hubs" outside the bloc broke off without a deal Wednesday, with negotiations set to continue on Thursday, EU sources said.

European lawmakers and countries were expected to agree on a tightening of immigration rules concocted in response to political pressure across the 27-nation EU to curb migration.

Diplomatic sources said only a few unresolved issues needed ironing out -- mainly around the timeline for implementation.

But governments and parliament representatives decided to reconvene Thursday morning with the hope of reaching a deal then.

"People with no right to stay in the European Union must be returned effectively," EU migration chief Magnus Brunner wrote on social media as talks were underway.

"This is what the new rules will provide: more control over who can come to the EU, who can stay, and who must leave."

Criticised by human rights groups, the measures notably allow for the opening of centres outside the EU's borders to which migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected could be sent.

They also envisage harsher penalties for migrants who refuse to leave, including detention and entry bans.

Some in the bloc have questioned the effectiveness of return centres, which the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an NGO, has described as "legal black holes".