On April 27, 2011 a final conference of the EU project “Development of Administrative Mechanisms in Support of Readmission of Migrants in the Russian Federation” took place in Moscow. The project duration was from September 2009 till April 2011.

The Head of the Citizenship Department of FMS of Russia greeted the participants with welcoming remarks. He noted the success of joint work on readmission direction and mentioned the contribution of the project to the development of readmission mechanisms in the Russian Federation, particularly in respect of the readmission of third country nationals and stateless persons. In particular, practical trainings and thematic meetings, methodological and informational materials developed within the project, carried out analytical work and proposed recommendations on further development of legal frameworks in the field of readmission, as well as work on strengthening the dialogue at the technical level between representatives of the competent authorities of the European Union MSs and the Russian Federation have been found useful.

The Head of Operations Section of the Delegation of the European Union to Russia mentioned that the topic of readmission remains one of the important areas of work because readmission is not only a practical tool to combat illegal migration in many countries, but also touches on both political and economic aspects, since readmission agreements are often concluded in a package with other agreements, in particular relating to visa issues. In this context, the continuation of dialogue in the field of readmission between the competent authorities of the EU and Russia is an urgent task.

Chief of Mission of IOM Moscow expressed his gratitude to the Federal Migration Service of Russia for their support and fruitful cooperation on the project.

In addition, the experience gained during the implementation of readmission agreements between the European Union and the Russian Federation, and the current situation on readmission dialogue with other countries was discussed at the conference. Present representatives of the competent authorities of some countries, in particular, Armenia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Sweden, spoke about the current situation in readmission sphere and identified some issues that require further work and coordination. Representatives of the Russian state structures also discussed possible ways of further development of legal framework and practical working arrangements, including in readmission of third country nationals and stateless persons.