Pilot Initiative on Return to Third Countries

„Pilot Initiative on Return to Third Countries.

Non-paper of the Commission Services and EEAS:  state of play and next steps in view of discussions in COASI and COAFR

The pilot initiative on return was discussed originally in the JHA Council in March 2014 as a Dutch  initiative  proposing  to  use  the  leverage,  available  in  overall  bilateral  relations  with particular third countries, in order to improve the return rate of irregular migrants from the EU Member States to those countries. Following this discussion, in its June 2014 conclusions on return,  the  JHA  Council  endorsed:  „launching  an  initiative  on  a  pilot  project  concerning  a number of selected third- countries of origin […] [ in order] to mobilise all adequate means in the framework of the more for more principle, to stimulate the selected pilot third countries to comply with their international obligations, to improve return rate“. […]“