Germany’s interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, hopes the meeting of European interior ministers on October 4 will pave the way for “return hubs” for rejected asylum seekers who cannot be returned home.

The hubs should be located as close as possible to the countries of origin, Mr Dobrindt told the Münchner Merkur newspaper in his remarks published on Thursday.

“We want the EU to provide the legal framework for such centres,” he said. “At the same time, we know we cannot rely on the EU to build these return hubs.”

His plan envisions a coordinated effort among individual member states to implement them.

“Where exactly, we have not yet agreed,” Mr Dobrindt added.

According to the ministry, numerous European interior ministers and EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner are expected to attend the Munich meeting on Saturday; a similar gathering took place in July on Germany’s Zugspitze Mountain.

Mr Dobrindt also said that those who “integrate and work have a chance” to stay in Germany.

“For all others, we want to enforce the obligation to leave,” stated Mr Dobrindt.

According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, 78,246 people applied for protection in Germany for the first time from January through August, roughly half the number of first-time applications in the same period last year.

(dpa/NAN)