EU-study of migrant returns and readmission policies in Europe

GAPs aims to decentre the dominant and policy-driven understanding of return migration governance by bringing multiple perspectives into play.

In several reports published by various EU institutions, the shortcomings in return policies are attributed to a set of internal and external factors, including inconsistent interpretation of EU rules, absence of proper links between return and asylum policies; lack of policy harmonisation among MSs; and problems in implementation, coordination, and cooperation.

To address these problems, the European Commission (EC) with the New Pact on Migration and Asylum (EC 2020: 2) has called for responsibility-sharing for ‘swift and effective returns’ promoting an ‘EU-coordinated approach to returns’.

Cooperation with transit and origin countries

However, the problem is what precisely comprises effective returns and coordinated approach, for whom, and how effectiveness and efficiency will (or can) be measured. Policy work and scholarly research show that the EU needs to cooperate with transit and origin countries as well as migrants to fulfil its return and readmission policy objectives. However, third countries often show unwillingness to cooperate with the EU and its Member States, notably in signing readmission agreements.

The project "GAP's" overall goal is to examine expectations of and results of the EU's return policy.

“From the migrants’ perspective, too often policies do not focus on their concerns, experiences, and dynamics of migration journey. So, there exist gaps between the dynamics of migration processes, return policies’ priorities, and the interests of parties that are expected to cooperate. We thus dubbed this project ‘GAPs’ because its overarching objective is to examine the disconnect between expectations of EU return policies and their actual outcomes, ”  says Önver Cetrez, project leader of GAPs and professor in Psychology of Religion, Uppsala University.

Bringing multiple perspectives into play

GAPs aims to decentre the dominant and policy-driven understanding of return migration governance by bringing multiple perspectives into play and by studying complex interactions between the actors involved. GAPs scrutinizes the shortcomings of the EU’s governance of returns with both its internal and external dimensions; analyses enablers and barriers of international cooperation, sheds light on the perspectives of migrants themselves to understand their knowledge of return policies, aspirations and experiences.

“By taking a close look at governance, cooperation and the agency of various actors, the project is able to suggest new avenues for international cooperation, develop recommendations for stakeholders and explore alternative pathways to returning migrants, ”  says Soner Barthoma, project coordinator at Centre for Multidisciplinary Research on Religion and Society (CRS) at Uppsala University.

Ethnographic fieldwork and survey studies

GAPs aims to achieve its goals via a multi-disciplinary, qualitative and quantitative comparative research, with fieldwork in 13 countries in Europe (Sweden, Germany, Poland, Greece), Africa (Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco) and the broader Middle East (Turkey, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Afghanistan). The particular data collection involves ethnographic fieldwork and survey studies in the selected case countries.