College of Social Sciences

Gerasimos Tsourapas is part of a new Horizon Europe project that will examine the drivers of states’ refugee repatriation strategies, and analyse European policies on cooperation with third countries regarding refugee returns.

The question of how and whether states can relocate refugees to another ("third") country has recently attracted considerable attention in the UK, as a result of Government plans to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda. The concept of third countries itself is however nothing new, and typically includes the stipulation that refugees should have a connection with the third country which makes it reasonable for them to be relocated there (much of the discussion about the UK-Rwanda agreement has arisen from the apparent lack of adherence to this principle).

This three-year project will analyse European refugee policies and international cooperation on the movement of refugees across borders (either to safe third countries, or returning people to their country of origin). The project, called “De-centring the Study of Migrant Returns and Readmission Policies in Europe and Beyond,” involves 17 participating organisations located across Europe, Africa, and the broader Middle East.

The project was awarded over 3.49 million Euros in total, to study this important topic. The University of Glasgow, as the consortium’s UK partner, will conduct research on refugee diplomacy in the Western, Central, and Eastern Mediterranean migration corridors. We hope that a better understanding of current policies and how they are enacted on the ground will ultimately lead to more accessible, equitable, and transparent processes for those forced to flee their homes and claim refugee status.

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Gerasimos received funding from the College's Reinvigorating Research Scheme to prepare this collaborative grant proposal, and he is grateful to the College of Social Sciences for the generous support.

First published: 24 August 2022