GAPs Research Featured on TOK FM: Expert Discusses EU Return Policy Reforms
Mateusz Krępa, an expert from the Polish team within the Horizon Europe GAPs project, was a guest on TOK FM radio
On 12 March 2025, Mateusz Krępa, an expert from the Polish team within the Horizon Europe GAPs project, was a guest on TOK FM radio to discuss the European Commission’s newly announced plans for harmonising return systems across the EU. Drawing on findings from the GAPs project, particularly from Work Package 3 (on the forced returns infrastructure in Poland and on reintegration programmes in Georgia) and Work Package 2 (legal and policy frameworks of return policy), Krępa highlighted key challenges and potential solutions in EU return policies.
He explained that, in principle, individuals without legal residency status in the EU are expected to return to their country of origin. However, GAPs research has revealed multiple obstacles to enforcing removal orders, including non-deportability to conflict-affected states, weak state structures in certain countries, and the reluctance of origin states to cooperate. Polish Border Guard officials, interviewed as part of the GAPs project, reported difficulties in obtaining identification documents and securing travel permits for some individuals.
According to Krępa, the European Commission’s proposed harmonisation of return procedures could help address these challenges, as the EU is better positioned to negotiate return agreements than individual member states, particularly smaller ones with limited diplomatic influence. However, he expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of return hubs, citing concerns raised by Italy’s recent cooperation with Albania. Instead, he emphasised the importance of reintegration measures, pointing to successful programmes in Georgia that were examined during a GAPs field visit in February 2024, which included interviews with 25 experts.
Krępa also underscored a key GAPs finding: returnees often struggle with negative social perceptions in their home countries, where return is seen as a personal failure. To improve the long-term effectiveness of return policies, he stressed the need for comprehensive reintegration strategies that ensure dignity and social acceptance for returnees.
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