Speakers
Tineke Strik MEP, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Michele Amedeo, Head of Centre of Thematic Expertise on Migration, DG NEAR, European Commission
Martina Wenske, Home Affairs Counsellor, German Permanent Representation to the EU
Daniel Howden, Visiting Fellow, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford
Olivia Sundberg Diez, Junior Policy Analyst, European Migration and Diversity, European Policy Centre
Alberto-Horst Neidhardt, Policy Analyst, European Migration and Diversity, European Policy Centre (Moderator)
The return and readmission of migrants without a right to remain has long been a cornerstone of EU migration policy, and in recent years, increasing the rate of returns has become a political priority. In September 2018, the European Commission proposed the first recast of the Return Directive since its entry into force in 2010. The European Parliament and the Council’s provisional positions followed in 2019. While it is still unclear in what form this file will be taken up by the new legislature, it is already clear that return will remain a key policy objective for the new Commission. At the same time, cooperation with third countries is expected to continue expanding, including through both formal and informal readmission agreements, and by employing new forms of leverage.
The start of the new legislative cycle provides a unique opportunity to critically rethink EU return and readmission policy, in terms of both fundamental rights safeguards and efficiency. This Policy Dialogue will discuss the lessons learnt from recent trends and recommendations going forward, drawing on the EPC’s recent Discussion Paper on the implications for non-refoulement of EU return and readmission
policy.