With the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in June 2026 and the EU Return Regulation fast approaching, return and reintegration have moved to the centre of the EU’s migration agenda. Against this backdrop, the Expert Conference on Return and Reintegration Facility highlighted the need for coordinated and evidence-based interventions, along with sustained dialogue.
On 21April 2026, ICMPD’s Return and Reintegration Facility (RRF) gathered 111 representatives and practitioners from EU and Schengen states, partner countries, civil society, international organisations, and research institutions in the field of return and reintegration. The discussions centred on closer cooperation, stronger outreach to returnees and host communities, smarter use of digital tools, and tighter alignment between political ambitions and operational realities.
ICMPD Director General Susanne Raab emphasised:
As return and reintegration policies rise on the agenda, exchanges among experts and practitioners are more important than ever. Platforms like the RRF are where European ambition meets operational reality, and where ICMPD and its partners sharpen the tools needed for the road ahead.Ms Raab said.
Delegates exchanged on their experiences and challenges, and explored ways forward to enhance return systems and reintegration approaches. Panel discussions and breakout sessions tracked the evolution of return policy in Europe, the role of evidence in programme design and implementation, and the persistent gap between policy frameworks and what happens on the ground. Across every session, one message reoccurred: progress depends on the quality of the partnerships behind it.
Discussions also reflected policy, research, and operational perspectives. From a policy standpoint, Member States reaffirmed their support to strengthen capacities through initiatives such as the RRF and highlighted the value of continued exchange platforms. Insights from research and practice highlighted the importance of adopting more bottom-up approaches in programme design; while operational perspectives underscored that sustainable reintegration must be locally driven and anchored in existing systems.
Breakout sessions took participants into the detail of everyday practice, focusing on key operational areas such as referral mechanisms, addressing vulnerabilities in reintegration, return counselling in accelerated procedures, and the digitalisation of reintegration case management.
The Conference was hosted by the RRF under ICMPD’s Global Initiatives, an increasingly important instrument supporting dignified return and sustainable reintegration. Since its launch in 2022, the RRF has grown into a reference point for Member States and partner countries. The Conference thus provided an opportunity to take stock of the Facility’s achievements, and of its future: by bringing its long-standing partners together with new stakeholders and shaping the priorities for its second phase.
This forward-looking perspective was also reflected by the European Commission, which emphasised the importance of continued innovation and system development.
RRF is expected to continue delivering innovative solutions that benefit the common European system, with a strong focus on further developing referral systems.said Ionut Mihalache, Policy Officer at DG HOME, European Commission.
