Authors: Frown Rausis and Sandra Lavenex, University of Geneva
This Policy Brief presents recommendations for the EU and EU+ states negotiating Intergovernmental Return Frameworks (IRFs) with non-European states.
In recent decades, European states and the EU have increasingly engaged in extra-European return diplomacy. This refers to the strategic use of diplomatic actions and internal coordination by European states or the EU aimed at governing the return and readmission of people without valid residence permit to countries outside Europe. Thereby, IRFs have become wider in scope, often linking return and readmission to various policy fields and shifting from legally binding agreements to non-binding arrangements.
Despite growing engagement, extra-European return diplomacy remains fraught with difficulty. Negotiation processes are shaped by unequal interests and diverging normative perspectives, and negotiation outcomes are often not made public. As a result, IRFs face questions of transparency, legitimacy, and effective implementation—especially when they lack shared ownership and common interests. To address these challenges, this Policy Brief calls for a shift in approach: setting realistic expectations, strengthening intra-governmental coordination, combining broader frameworks with binding commitment and transparency, and prioritizing co-determined processes and outcomes. Ultimately, it is long-term, trust-based relationships that enables effective and sustainable return cooperation.