Funding objectives and target groups
The objective of the European Return Fund is to finance the repatriation of third-country immigrants to their home countries and to improve the so-called repatriation management that differs within EU countries and to align these policies with each other. In particular, voluntary repatriation is to be supported by funding projects.
The specific objectives arising from this are given in Art. 3 of the Council RF Decision.
The following groups of people can be funded by RF projects (cf. Art. 7 of the Council RF Decision):
Persons who return voluntarily to their home country (outside of the EU); these are
- asylum-seekers who have not yet received a definitive/final decision,
- asylum-seekers who have been refused a definitive/final decision, who have a residence permit or exceptional leave to remain (Duldung),
- asylum-seekers, refugees recognised under the Geneva Convention, and persons to whom a deportation ban has been granted, or
- other persons from non-EU states who are obliged to leave the country, who do not (any longer) fulfil the conditions for remaining and who would like to leave voluntarily.
Persons who do not return voluntarily; these are
- asylum-seekers who have been refused a definitive / final decision, and who are therefore obliged to leave the country who have neither a residence permit nor exceptional leave to remain (Duldung), or
- other persons from non-EU states who are obliged to leave the country, who do not (any longer) fulfil the conditions for remaining but who do not wish to return voluntarily.
Date 18.08.2011
