Negotiators from the European Parliament and European Union countries are close to reaching an agreement that could pave the way for setting up deportation centres outside the EU.
After "productive" negotiations, the two sides "have come to a common understanding on the text of the return regulation," the parliament's negotiating team said on Thursday.
"All remaining outstanding political issues have been duly discussed and provisionally agreed" except for the date from which the changes are to apply, they said.
Negotiators from the parliament and from capitals are set to meet again on June 1 with the aim to reach an agreement.
These so-called "return hubs" are meant to accommodate rejected asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their countries of origin.
Migrants with a return order sometimes cannot be deported to their home countries because the country of origin refuses to take them back or because the host country does not maintain diplomatic relations with the country in question.
Germany has been pushing for the plans along with Greece, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Italy has already signed a contested agreement with Albania to house asylum seekers in the Western Balkans nation.
The plans also include tighter rules for rejected asylum seekers with the aim of speeding up deportations.
