Denmark is trying to enact a similar plan.
The Austrian government wants to enable the transfer of convicted criminals from non-EU countries to serve their sentences in Kosovo.
Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, who on Monday took part in a migration conference in Copenhagen, discussed the idea with Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard on Tuesday.
“Detention facilities like those planned by Denmark in Kosovo are also part of Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian plan,” Karner said afterwards.
In December 2021, Denmark signed an agreement with Kosovo to rent a prison in a small town south of the capital Priština. Over a span of 10 years — and in exchange for €210 million — 300 inmates sentenced to deportation are to be relocated.
The plans are still on hold, however, since the treaty has not been adopted by the Kosovo parliament.
“We want to further intensify cooperation between our countries in the area of security and the fight against organized crime,” Karner said.
At the migration conference, over 250 political leaders and international organizations discussed solutions through partnerships with non-EU countries to manage refugee arrivals and facilitate returns.
Critics say the deportation plans undermine asylum regulations in the EU and violate human rights.
Karner, a fan of the Rwanda model, has previously demanded a change to “EU regulations” to facilitate deportations from EU countries.