The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, a Main Actor of the Return Policy
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, a Main Actor of the Return Policy

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly referred to as “Frontex” and hereinafter “the Agency” was created in October 2004 by Council Regulation (EC) n°2007/2004 to assist European Union Member States in managing and controlling their external borders. It is located in the capital of Poland Warsaw and constitutes one of over 35 decentralized agencies in the EU. But if there is one agency that has witnessed a steady growth in powers, size and funding, it is absolutely Frontex. It becomes as Idil ATAK consider “a real legal monster” in the area of Freedom, Security and Justice of the European Union. Indeed, since taking up its responsibilities on May 1, 2005, the Agency founding regulation has been amended four times: in 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2019. Each of which has progressively expanded the agency’s mandate, functions and budget.

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TunisiaInside GAPsUniversity of Sousse
From Displacement to Return: How SRAD Shaped Jordan’s Refugee Policy and Syrians’ Path Home
From Displacement to Return: How SRAD Shaped Jordan’s Refugee Policy and Syrians’ Path Home

In a world where more than half of the Syrian refugees are denied the most basic means of employment, Jordan pioneered a new approach. Instead of leaving the Syrian refugees in perpetual waiting, the country undertook a carefully planned approach: to empower Syrians during their displacement so that they would one day be able to return to Syria not as victims, but as skilled and self-reliant assets. Unlike other host countries that have struggled to integrate Syrian refugees into their formal labor market (or completely omit them)-Jordan took steps in the right direction early on. Jordan provided access to work permits to the Syrians, removed the fees levied on the permits, and provided vocational training and skills development opportunities…

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JordanInside GAPsHashemite University
Defensiveness, Distrust, and Ethics in Return and Reintegration Research in Nigeria
Defensiveness, Distrust, and Ethics in Return and Reintegration Research in Nigeria

The burgeoning field of return and reintegration in Nigeria, a critical area for addressing the complex realities of migration, is unfortunately riddled with a deeply ingrained culture of defensiveness, distrust, and even outright rivalry among its key stakeholders. This pervasive atmosphere not only presents significant methodological hurdles for researchers striving to understand the nuances of this intricate process but also plunges them into a precarious ethical landscape. Navigating these morally ambiguous situations is paramount, as the outcomes ultimately impact the very individuals – return migrants – whom the sector aims to assist. This blog post sheds light on these…

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NigeriaInside GAPsUniversity of Nigeria
Rethinking the Future of Syrian Refugees in Jordan: Challenges, Support, and Strategic Choices
Rethinking the Future of Syrian Refugees in Jordan: Challenges, Support, and Strategic Choices

Jordan, throughout its modern history, has dealt with large waves of refugees, making it one of the countries hosting the highest percentage of refugees relative to its population. The kingdom hosts around 1.3 million Syrian citizens, including more than 671,000 registered refugees with the United Nations. Only about 10% of these refugees live in refugee camps, while the rest are spread across local communities, leading to increasing negative repercussions amid the ongoing Syrian crisis. Jordan, under its Hashemite leadership, provided assistance to refugees based on deep-rooted humanitarian, moral, and national values. However, the kingdom emphasizes…

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JordanInside GAPsHashemite University
Presentation of the Work of EKKE Team Member Timokleia Psallidaki
Presentation of the Work of EKKE Team Member Timokleia Psallidaki

Timokleia Psallidaki is a member of the GAPs research team in Greece at the National Centre for Social Research (EKKE). She is a PhD candidate in Migration Studies and Human Geography at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Architecture, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Her research interests include migration, border transformations, practices of migrants’ settlement in the city, socio-spatial inequalities, European migration policies, mobility, and precarity. During my postgraduate studies in Urban and Regional Planning at NTUA, I engaged with critical geography perspectives that conceptualize space as a relational entity—one shaped by interconnections, multiplicity, and ongoing interactions between global and local dynamics. Perceiving space…

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GreeceInside GAPsEKKE
The Return of Syrian Refugees: A Journey of Hope and Destiny between Jordan and Syria
The Return of Syrian Refugees: A Journey of Hope and Destiny between Jordan and Syria

The Syrian crisis, which erupted in 2011, witnessed one of the largest displacement waves in modern history, with more than 13 million Syrians forced to leave their homes under the weight of war and destruction, according to Najat Rochdi, the Deputy Special Envoy of the United Nations to Syria. In 2023 alone, the number of internally displaced persons rose to 7.2 million, while the number of refugees and forcibly displaced persons reached 6.5 million, distributed across 137 countries. Amid these events, Jordan opened its doors to more than 1.3 million Syrians, including over 671,000 registered refugees with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Although a small percentage of these refugees live…

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JordanInside GAPsHashemite University