Under international law, every country has an obligation to accept its own citizens if they are denied entry or expelled from another country. Thus, taking back citizens should be well-established practice among states. However, this is not always the case. In recent decades, several methods and tools have been designed to define and determine the conditions and forms for returning people to their countries of origin.
Among these tools, multi- and bilateral, so-called readmission agreements are the most prominent and most frequently cited in research and international relations. However, these agreements have been criticized for having a relatively limited effect on the number of people who actually return. The critics point to shortcomings in implementation, lack of respect for human rights and that these agreements are the result of temporary political currents rather than long-term solutions.
Readmission agreements, as part of the return process, require extensive international cooperation. At an operational level, diplomatic representations are an important actor. The readmission process can include everything from obtaining correct ID documents that enable the departure itself to offering support structures in the country of origin to facilitate reintegration.
The first part of the AMIF-funded project touches upon the theme of the role, function, and cooperation within and between Swedish and foreign authorities in the return and readmission process. With the aim to address how diplomatic tools as well as national and bilateral cooperation (formal as well as informal) can promote a more effective, sustainable and humane return of persons who do not have a legal right to stay in Sweden.
The project is funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
Photo: J Lee, Unsplash
