Readmission, return and reintegration of migrants in Ukraine : socio-political context

Abstract

The ambivalent socio-political processes that have accompanied the formulation of the Ukrainianposition on the readmission of various migrant groups from the EU, CIS and other countries havedetermined a high risk of the formation of a marginalized readmission space33 in its territory. Despitethe slow but steady progress made in the discussion on and development of a multilateral legal framework in this field, the institutional and implementation gap between what is currently in place inUkraine and internationally accepted standards for readmission,return and reintegration remainsessential. The high levels of xenophobia among the population of Ukraine in relation to certain ethnic groups,35 heated by the radical nationalist movements gaining popularity, have created geopoliticaland societal conditions for the diversion of public perception in a direction unfavorable to the future ofthe Ukrainian state and society. The current actualization of the strategic goals of the ‘EasternPartnership’ could be an incentiefor Ukraine to harmonize its political and legal systems, as well asto mobilize public resources for the implementation of comprehensive reforms related to migration.36