1. Re-Turn: Regions benefitting from returning migrants
Interact seminar on the Interreg response to migration-related challenges
Vienna | 5 July 2016
Re-Turn: Regions benefitting from returning migrants
Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE | Joint Secretariat | Chiara Casarella

2. € LP Basic project facts 7
- Regions benefitting from returning migrants
Objectives:
To create framework conditions for retaining human capital and to counter brain drain
To push the topic of return migration onto the political agenda in CE regions LP € 7
Project from
7 regionally active public and not-for-profit bodies (3 public authorities, 1 association of public authorities, 3 qualification and training organizations), 4 research organizations (2 universities and 2 research institutes) and 1 international organization lobbying for migration issues (IOM)
Lead partner
Leibnitz Institute for Geography (DE)
Countries
Area of intervention
Focus
Combined policy learning and practical implementation
Budget
12 partners from 7 countries
Fostering knowledge development
around 2m EUR

3. WHAT THEY achieved
Raise the re-migration issue onto the political agenda of the regions and teste solutions for the identified challenges

4. What situation they started from
Context:
General focus on determinants, rather than consequences of (re)migration
(Re)migration often explained in economic terms, without acknowledging:
Social and psychological issues
Role of social networks
Few research on transnational aspects of return migration within the EU
Challenge:
Analytical perspective to study return migration
Lack of coherent theory/ definition/ data
Target groups:
Labour migrants from CEE
Working in another country for more than 6 months
Returning to their home country

5. HOW THEY achieved their results
Step 1
Understanding the needs and potentials of returning migrants
Understanding the regional conditions for re-integration
Step 2
Developing tools, methods and service concepts to help the regions benefit from return migration
Step 3
Developing and supporting a joint action plan to improve framework conditions for innovative migrants
1. main objective is to identify and understand the existing situation of return migration
and unexploited potentials in participating countries and regions to be able to use
return migration to foster knowledge development
2. Develop, share and test methods and tools to re-attract, re-integrate and assist
remigrants for better capitalisation and knowledge development
3. Give recommendations and strategy advise for decision makers on regional level; appropriate framework conditions for the capitalisation on returning migrants shall be created for the benefit of regional knowledge development
Project was able to increase awareness in the participating regions in the brad public of the benefits of regional development associated with return migration
The project was able to deepen the knowledge base in the field of return migration in Central Europe using an online survey with nearly 2000 central European migrants, motives, satisfaction patterns, problems and 109 expert interviews with business representatives across central Europe
The project was able to support test and implement pilot measures
The project was able to generate attention among policy makers on the regional, national and European level.

6. How they achieved their results
1. RE-ATTRACT emigrants from abroad
Communication, ambassadors, networks, telephone hotlines, websites
Target groups: Decision takers, public administration officers, …
Job
Housing
Child Care
Schooling
Cultural life
Community
2. RE-INTEGRATE returnees upon return
One-stop-shops, reintegration offices, regional websites, ambassadors Target groups: Representatives of business associations, …
3. RE-EMPLOY returnees at home
Professional training, regional labour offices, business associations, start-up assistance and business incubators Target groups: Intermediaries dealing with training and qualification of the workforce, …
Decision takers and officers from regional authorities and labour market organisation
Intermediaries dealing with training and qualification of the workforce
Representatives of business associations and economic development promoters
Social networks of migrants and organisations dealing with migration

7. Which services they sustained

8. What they Published… why
Re-Turn Remigration Trends Report
Answering to a lack of sufficient statistical data to monitor return migration
Re-Turn Baseline Report
Collection of wide variety of existing return initiatives that are poorly known
Re-Turn Migrant Survey Report
Asking return migrants with potentials for their home regions which assistance they need during return
Re-Turn Business Survey Report
Asking businesses from home regions that have to be included into return intiatives

9. What they Published… why
Re-Turn Working Paper on Barriers for Capitalisation on Return Migration
Establishing that return initatives need an efficient communication strategy
Re-Turn Transnational Strategy
Stating that return initiatives are positive discrimination of migrants
Stating that return migration can have a temporary character in an integrating EU labour market
Stating that social security systems must be internationally compatible
Emphasising that ‚one fits all‘ strategies are not valid as regions are different
Find the publications:

10. What they achieved… in Detail
Established collaboration network of regional stakeholders and increased awareness in the “return-topic”
Deepened the knowledge base in the field of return migration in central Europe and tested tools and measures
Identified regional organisations, embedded in local structures, willing to continue the Re-Turn services in the region after project end
Increased awareness of participating regions about the return migration and its potential
Maintained the discussion and information process about return migration on partner level
initiated through the pilot testing period– by regular communication and exchange with local actors as well as wide local/regional and national promotional campaigns.
(mobile: internal migrants, international migrants as well as non-mobile: unemployed people, people on parental leave, etc.) to increase the number of potential beneficiaries to realize Re-Turn services and to ensure that other population groups feel not discriminated against.
Increased awareness of participating regions about the return migration and ist potential
Deepened the knowledge base in the field of return migration in Central Europe
Developped, implemented, tested and evaluated pilot measures to support return migration
Collaboration network of regional stakeholders, interested in the “return-topic” and capable of offering support in terms of content and funding
Identified regional organizations, embedded in local structures, willing to continue the Re-Turn services in the region after the project’s end.
Project partners aim to maintain the discussion and information process about return migration
Opening of services to other population groups in the region
Generated attention among policy makers on regional, national and European levels
Created a collaboration network of regional stakeholders that are interested in the “return-topic” and capable of offering support in terms of content and funding

11. CONTACT DETAILS Chiara Casarella Joint Secretariat
Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme
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