Making an inventory of all the bilateral readmission agreements concluded between the EU-27 member states and South Mediterranean countries (SMCs) would not suffice to grasp the various mechanisms and cooperative instruments that have emerged, over the last decade, to sustain the removal of illegally staying third-country nationals. By laying emphasis on the unstable balance of costs and benefits related to the bilateral cooperation on readmission, the purpose of this workshop lies in analysing, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the reasons for which some SMCs have engaged in the conclusion of readmission agreements with some EU member states, while others opted for alternative or less formal patterns of cooperation on readmission. Scant attention has been paid to these alternative patterns. They do not constitute formal readmission agreements. However, they are no less agreements for that, having serious implications on state-to-state relations, policy-making and reforms, including the development of a genuine legal system aimed to the respect of the rights of migrants and the protection of asylum-seekers. The objectives of this workshop lie in analysing these manifold implications.

Deadline for submission of abstracts (250 words max.): 7 September 2007.
Apply online by clicking on http://www.rscas.org/medform.asp