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IOM Launched an EU-supported Initiative to Strengthen Rights-Based Return Management in the Western Balkans

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Sarajevo – On 1 January, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with funding from the European Union (EU), launched the project “EU support to strengthen return management systems in the Western Balkans”. The initiative, supported by an 8 million EUR contribution from the EU over the next four years, will focus on enhancing the operationalization of return systems in the region, emphasizing institutional capacities to implement rights-based processes that align with international and EU standards.

The Western Balkans is at a pivotal stage, as governments work to align their migration management systems with EU policies and standards. Despite progress in managing migration flows, return, readmission, and reintegration systems remain under pressure. Operational challenges persist, including gaps in identification, case management, and procedural safeguards, alongside the need to strengthen collaboration with key countries of origin to ensure sustainable solutions.

IOM’s initiative aims to address these gaps by embedding a due diligence process across all stages of return management—pre-return, capacity-building, and post-return. In this context, IOM’s new initiative seeks to strengthen the ability of Western Balkan authorities to implement comprehensive and rights-based return processes. The project will focus on enhancing return and readmission cooperation among countries in the region and with key migration partners, improving institutional frameworks for return management, and expanding access to return and reintegration support for migrants.

This initiative builds on the commitments set forth in the Skopje Declaration and the Jahorina Action Plan in 2023, both of which underscore the importance of sustainable and rights-based approaches to migration governance. These milestones underscore the recognition among Western Balkan partners of the need for robust, rights-based systems to manage return and reintegration effectively.

The EU’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) has been a cornerstone of migration management support in the region, contributing to advancements in border management, return systems, and cooperation with EU Member States and countries of origin. The new project leverages these achievements, fostering closer collaboration between the Western Balkans and its migration partners while reinforcing adherence to EU and international standards.

In line with the principles of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, IOM’s efforts aim to ensure effective migration management systems that prioritize rights-based and sustainable solutions

For more information, please contact IOM Western Balkans at iomwesternbalkans@iom.int.