Dynamics and perspectives of norms compliance in the Germany–Albania readmission process
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24226294 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ruth Vollmer (0009-0002-9386-4379, BICC - Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies), Zeynep Sahin Mencutek (0000-0002-6676-8579, BICC - Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 16 |
| Pages | 4299-4320 |
| Publication date | 2026-10-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Community (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-9586 • E-ISSN: 1469-9451 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1369183x.2026.2633671 |
| OpenAlex | W7141630625 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 47 |
Origin countries of rejected asylum seekers often hesitate to formally cooperate with the European Union (EU) and its member states (MS) on readmission. Western Balkan countries, particularly Albania, demonstrate a collaborative approach, as evidenced by the conclusion of readmission agreements, high return rates and support for MS’s migration management tools. Based on interviews with 129 returned migrants and 30 stakeholders from Albania and Germany, along with extensive desk research, this study examines norm dynamics in Albania’s readmission collaboration with the EU and its MS, particularly Germany. By critically engaging with the concept of norm internalisation, the article presents three key arguments. First, Albania shows strong behavioural compliance with the duty-to-readmit norm, which allows to leave the underlying drivers of migration unaddressed. Second, the drivers of Albania’s compliance with the readmission norm have shifted from ideational and identity-based to interest-driven, reflecting the interest-based and selective stance of the EU as norm setting actor. Third, readmitted Albanians tend to accept removal orders as an expression of rule-of-law, while bearing the highest cost of readmission collaboration. By elucidating the perspectives of various stakeholders involved in the readmission process, this article contributes to the discussion about the drivers of compliance with the duty-to-readmit norm.
asylum seekers · EU migration policy · migration management · norm internalization · readmission agreements · returnees · rule compliance · Rule of law · stakeholder perspectives · Western Balkans · European Law and Migration · Gender and Women's Rights · Migration, Refugees, and Integration
International norm dynamics in return and readmission
‘Human beings should not be deported’
Changing norms in EU return policy? A longitudinal analysis of commission documents on return
Norms and Social Constructivism in International Relations
Albanian Returned Asylum-Seekers
Deconstructing Balkan particularism
Rethinking Migration and Return in Southeastern Europe
Cognitive Remittances and the Reintegration ‘Hump’
The UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
Safe and Voluntary Refugee Repatriation
Norm internalisation revisited
Contested Meanings of Norms
What Isn't a Norm? Redefining the Conceptual Boundaries of “Norms” in the Human Rights Literature
The Presumption of Safety Tested
Introduction
The Working of EU Conditionality in the Area of Migration Policy
The EU's ‘return rate’ with third countries
Chessboard politics
The New Member States of the Eu in the Aftermath of Enlargement
Governance by conditionality
Europeanization or EU‐ization? The Transfer of European Norms across Time and Space
Why Comply? Social Learning and European Identity Change
Mobilizing International Norms
Transnational city networks and their contributions to norm-generation in international law
Money, power, glory
International Norm Dynamics and Political Change
Tracking the Process of International Norm Emergence
Return Migration and Human Rights in Albania
The Geopolitics of Return Migration in the International System
Realising the Right of Return
Formal informality' in EU external migration governance
Migration as a Tool for Social Resilience
| Citations per year | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |