After three and a half years of research, the FAiR project presents ten evidence-based lessons for European return policy, highlighting the importance of human dignity, legitimacy and realistic expectations about what return policies can achieve.
Rotterdam, 30 October 2026 – EU return policy is at a crossroads. The Pact on Migration and Asylum is now being implemented, and the new EU Return Regulation has entered into force. Both signal a push to increase the return of people with no right to stay. Yet a longstanding challenge remains: the gap between political ambitions and what return policies can realistically deliver.
So what makes return policy work?
Published today, the FAiR Policy Handbook draws on three and a half years of research across Europe and selected countries of origin to present ten key takeaways for policymakers and practitioners. Its central message is that effective return governance requires more than coercion and deterrence. It also depends on legitimacy and cooperation. Moreover, return policies must recognise that not everyone can or will return. Above all, respect for human dignity must remain an objective in its own right, especially in the European context, whether return takes place or not.
Among the findings highlighted in the handbook:
- Agreements alone do not deliver returns. Everyday cooperation between officials, mutual trust and diplomatic engagement are crucial. FAiR research also identifies a positive association between consular presence and return rates.
- Legitimacy matters for effective cooperation. Return governance depends not only on European priorities but also on how migrants and countries of origin perceive the legitimacy of return policies. Respect for human dignity is essential, both in its own right and for building sustainable cooperation.
- Non-return requires effective and legitimate policy responses too. Many people cannot be returned, even when they have no legal right to stay. Viable alternatives, including regularisation, can help prevent prolonged legal uncertainty and may generate wider economic and social benefits.
The FAiR Policy Handbook calls on EU and national policymakers to look beyond return rates when assessing policy effectiveness. Its recommendations include integrating human rights safeguards throughout the return process, strengthening independent monitoring, involving returnees and partner countries in policy design, and investing in sustainable reintegration.
Crucially, effective return governance also means addressing situations in which return does not take place, rather than allowing people to remain in prolonged legal limbo.
Professor Arjen Leerkes, coordinator of the FAiR project, concludes:
“For too long, the success of return policies has been judged mainly by how many people are returned, while governments are increasingly placing their faith in coercion and deterrence. Our research suggests that we need a broader perspective. Effective return governance also means respecting human dignity, building legitimate cooperation with countries of origin, and developing effective and humane responses to persistent non-return and prolonged legal limbo.”
About FAiR
FAiR (Finding Agreement in Return) is a Horizon Europe research project led by Erasmus University Rotterdam, with 11 consortium partners across Europe and beyond. It looks at how return, readmission and reintegration can be governed more effectively and legitimately.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101094828 | Project duration: May 2023 – October 2026 | Call: HORIZON-CL2-2022-TRANSFORMATIONS-01 | Topic: HORIZON-CL2-2022-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-09. This project received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.