This high-level roundtable, held in partnership between the EPC and the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung EU office, focused on the possible implications of the notion of ‘return sponsorships’ under the European Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum. This notion lies at the core of the Commission’s ambitions on both intra-EU solidarity for asylum seekers and returns to non-EU countries. It is also one of the more novel and contentious aspects of the New Pact proposals.
Engaging all key actors involved in the ongoing negotiations on the New Pact, namely, the European Commission, European Parliament, member states, as well as academia and civil society more broadly, this discussion presented an opportunity to reflect on the negotiations so far and what targeted amendments may be needed. Questions raised related to the scale of support that return sponsorships may provide EU border states, the new risks created for people subject to return decisions, as well as the proposal’s capacity to bridge the divisions among member states on the future of EU asylum policy.