The New European Return Framework and Return Hubs in Third Countries: Between Migration Control and Fundamental Rights Protection

Abstract

Evolving beyond a mere migration-related phenomenon to become closely interconnected with transnational organized crime and the illicit networks that facilitate the movement and exploitation of migrants. Its continued growth and escalation, coupled with the diversification of its channels and its association with the trafficking of narcotic drugs, firearms, and other prohibited goods, have transformed irregular migration into one of the principal variables underlying emerging security threats at both the regional and international levels.

In this context, it has become imperative to develop the relevant legal mechanisms and adopt all measures necessary to address the risks arising from irregular migration, with a view to containing the phenomenon and mitigating its adverse consequences. This objective can only be achieved through the adoption of diversified procedural alternatives incorporating multiple economic and social dimensions.

Given the multiplicity of these alternatives and the varying degrees of their effectiveness, this article seeks to describe and analyze the range of mechanisms adopted by the European Union to address the various repercussions of irregular migration, with particular emphasis on security, political, social, and economic mechanisms.