Inform and webinar: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on voluntary and forced return procedures and policy responses

The European Migration Network (EMN) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are organising the 5th webinar on “The impact of COVID-19 on remittances in EU and OECD countries” on 20 January at 15:00 CEST.

This webinar will focus on returns.

Context of the webinar

The COVID-19 crisis and the measures taken by EU and OECD countries to stop its spread are impacting migration directly and indirectly. One of the areas of migration that has been severely affected by COVID-19 measures has been return.

Health and safety conditions in pre-return detention centres have had to be adapted to ensure the protection of detainees during the pandemic, and migrants who have no legal basis to remain have only been able to return to their country of origin if travel is permitted and flights are available.

The EMN and OECD have been collaborating with the European Commission in order to provide information on how the pandemic is affecting migration in the EU and beyond useful to governments and policy makers. The result of the collaboration is a series of five Informs on measures taken at national and EU level in response to COVID-19 and their impacts on migration to address the negative consequences of the pandemic.

Concept note and agenda

Inform