Unwanted Neighbours: Looking Beyond the South/East Dichotomy in the European Union's Irregular Migration Policies

This article deals with a particular policy tool at the disposal of EU officials: Readmission Agreements that are drafted between the EU and third-countries often located in the immediate neighbourhood of the EU as a way to facilitate a “return policy” for irregular migrants that make their way into the Schengen area. The article is structured around two moves. First, it debunks the assumption that most irregular migration flows originate from (or transit through) Southern rather than Eastern countries. We base this analysis on the fact that while migration pressures are certainly higher in Southern and Southeastern countries due to the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, as well as sociopolitical struggles in sub-Saharan Africa, irregular migrants and human smugglers constantly adapt to the changing border security dispositif and re-direct the routes. Second, the article further explores the question of why a majority of Eastern neighbours have signed Readmission Agreements with the EU, while most Southern countries have refused to do so, preferring bilateral agreements with EU member states instead.