Unbalanced Reciprocities: Cooperation on Readmission in the Euro-Mediterranean Area

Abstract

This volume starts with a paradox. Over the last fifteen years or so, the number of bilateral readmission treaties concluded by the EU Member States with third countries has skyrocketed. This is quite extraordinary given the unbalanced reciprocities characterizing such treaties. Despite their being framed in a reciprocal context, readmission treaties incur asymmetric costs and benefits for the two contracting parties, particularly given they do not share the same interests in the removal of unauthorized aliens. With specific reference to the Euro-North African context, the authors set out to explain the cumulative factors and the overriding driving forces that have contributed to the growth and geographical expansion of the cobweb of bilateral agreements linked to readmission. They also highlight the gaps that may exist between reciprocal commitments and effective actions as well as between the drive for operability and the respect for human rights.