EPIM Call for Proposals: "Unlocking Alternatives. Piloting new pathways to migrant case resolution"

Over the past years, the EU and its Member States have been placing an increasing emphasis on a coercion-based ` migration control´ approach. Aimed at reducing the number of irregular migrants in Europe, the approach has led to a rise of immigration detention rates both in a reception and return context.

However, there is growing recognition that coercion-based methods such as immigration detention are neither humane, nor effective as a means to boost case resolution rates and reduce irregularity.

A new window of opportunity has therefore arisen for Alternatives to Detention (ATD) which do not rely on the restriction of liberty, but on voluntary engagement through case management. Engagement-based ATD can create beneficial outcomes both for governments and migrants themselves, by providing a more (cost-)effective and humane pathway for managing and resolving migration cases.

In 2016-2018, EPIM supported the ATD Network and three ATD pilots in Bulgaria, Cyprus and Poland. With this Call for Proposals, EPIM wishes to build on progress made and scale the implementation of case management-based ATD pilots in Europe by supporting civil society organisations at national level to:

• Develop their capacity and expertise to implement case management and become key actors in the promotion of case management-based ATD vis-à-vis authorities, other CSOs and the general public;
• Generate new qualitative and quantitative data regarding the effectiveness of case management-based ATD, and contribute to advocacy and communications at regional level through the ATD Network;
• Constructively engage authorities and other relevant stakeholders through solution-based advocacy and promote the wider use of case management-based ATD in national migration systems in order to reduce irregularity on an effective, non-coercive basis.

Projects can run for a timeframe of at least 24 months, starting in May 2019 (in the case of organisations currently funded by EPIM for an ATD pilot project) or June 2019 (in the case of other organisations). Projects can be proposed for a grant of up to 120,000 EUR.

Project proposals can be submitted online at https://nef-europe.optimytool.com/en/ until 4 April 2019. You can find more information on how to apply in the following documents:

EPIM Call for Proposals (PDF)
DOC 1: Guidelines for the submission of a proposal (PDF)
DOC 2: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

Please refer any questions you might have to Stephan Burger, EPIM Programme Officer, at stephan.burger@epim.info.