The Contribution of Frontex to EU Return Operations and the Added Value of Return & Reintegration Programme: The Successful Case of Cyprus

Abstract

This dissertation examines the effectiveness of European Union return governance by focusing on the case of Cyprus, addressing the research question of why the country has achieved comparatively strong return outcomes despite significant structural constraints. Cyprus represents a particularly relevant case due to its small size, limited administrative capacity and sustained migratory pressure, conditions that would normally be expected to hinder effective return implementation. The study seeks to identify the governance factors that explain this performance and to assess how EU-level return instruments are integrated into national systems in practice. The central argument advanced in this dissertation is that return effectiveness in the Cypriot case cannot be explained by favourable structural conditions or enforcement capacity alone. Instead, it results from the strategic alignment and interaction of three key governance dimensions: coherent national administrative capacity and coordination, EU-level operational support provided by Frontex, and structured reintegration mechanisms under the EU Return and Reintegration Programme (EURP). The analysis demonstrates that effective administrative coordination enables Cyprus to absorb and utilise EU operational tools efficiently, while Frontex support enhances operational capacity, scalability and procedural consistency. At the same time, systematic reintegration assistance strengthens the sustainability and credibility of return outcomes. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative research design based on content analysis of official EU and national documents. The empirical material includes European Commission communications, EU legal acts, Frontex operational reports and evaluations of return and reintegration programmes. Cyprus is examined as an extreme case, allowing the study to identify explanatory mechanisms that enable policy effectiveness under conditions of constraint. The analysis focuses on recurring themes related to administrative coordination, operational support and reintegration, and examines how these elements interact within the national return system. The dissertation contributes to the literature on EU return governance in three main ways. First, it provides a focused analysis of a small Member State that remains underrepresented in academic research despite its strong performance. Second, it offers a holistic examination of return governance by integrating legal, operational and reintegration perspectives that are often analysed separately. Third, it demonstrates the analytical value of interaction-based approaches for understanding policy effectiveness in extreme cases. The findings offer insights relevant to both academic debates and policy discussions on EU return governance, particularly for smaller or resource-constrained Member States.