In October 2014, the EMN Return Experts Group (REG) has published a first edition of the Directory under the theme: “Connecting Return Experts across Europe”.

It provides a European wide mapping of the actors involved in the return process and of the programmes and initiatives implemented in the field of return in each Member State. The aim is to connect return experts across Europe with a view to increasing operational cooperation among Member States in order to assist more irregular migrants to voluntarily return in a human and dignified manner to their country of origin or to a transit country.

The EMN REG Directory is divided in two parts:

• The 1st part presents general statistics about the number of return decisions issued and the number of returns effected, disaggregated by the type of returns (e.g. forced return, voluntary departure and assisted voluntary return).
• The 2nd part compiles Member States’ Country Factsheets which have been completed by the EMN REG Members for their respective Member State.

The information was collected over the period April 2014 to October 2014 and will be updated by the end of April each year and a new edition of the directory will be published in June.