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Return Assistance in Germany ,
Source: BAMF
The Working Paper deals with questions pertaining to return assistance for third country nationals and their reintegration in the respective countries of origin. The study provides an informed overview of the available data and the variegated practices in the field of assisted return, reintegration and the respective support measures in Germany.
Limited data availability
There is no reliable set of data on the overall scope of voluntary return from Germany. However, the present study provides analyses of the available statistics, processes data from the assisted return programmes jointly financed by the Federation and the German Federal States, and scrutinizes the reasons behind the distinct decline in the number of voluntary departures in the past years.
Heterogenous system of return assistance
The main part of the study deals with the political and legal framework for return assistance and the available programmes and strategies on the Federal, Länder and municipal levels. The landscape of programmes shows to be highly differentiated. Increasingly, approaches are pursued which not only consist of monetary support, but also of differentiated and sustainable reception and reintegration structures in the target regions in third countries.
Possible further developments
The study concludes with a number of possible goals as regards the further development of return assistance in Germany. Among other things, this concerns the improvement of the overall available data sources, a stronger linkage between return assistance and the fostering of reintegration against the backdrop of co-development goals, an evaluation of the effectiveness and sustainability of return assistance as well as increasing the share of voluntary departures as compared to forced returns.
The Working Paper was written as Germany's contribution to the comparative EMN study entitled "Programmes and Strategies in the European Union Fostering Assisted Return and Reintegration in Third Countries" by the European Migration Network (EMN). The study will allow for a comparison of the various approaches in EU Member States. It is also designed to mark a step toward improving European co-operation with regard to assisted return in the EU.
Jan Schneider and Dr. Axel Kreienbrink