EU-backed project supports voluntary migrant returns

The government is implementing an €8.38 million project to assist voluntary returns of third-country nationals, an 18-month EU-backed initiative set to wrap up by the end of 2026.

According to a statement by the deputy ministry of immigration on Tuesday, the project is funded under the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund as part of its 2021–2027 programme.

The initiative runs from July 1,2025 to December 31, 2026, with a total budget of €8,385,574.

“The main objective of the project is to further strengthen assisted voluntary returns of third-country nationals and to upgrade existing mechanisms that support the return process, ensuring conditions of safety, dignity and respect for human rights,” the ministry said.

The action also aims to reinforce administrative structures for managing returns, strengthen cooperation with relevant authorities, and promote sustainable solutions for third-country nationals wishing to return voluntarily to their countries of origin.

The ministry added that the project forms part of the broader strategy of the migration department and the deputy ministry of immigration to improve the management of migration flows and to promote “a humane, fair and effective migration policy, in accordance with national and European guidelines.”