A £2 million programme to support practical cooperation in asylum and migration systems in EU member-states was presented on February 19 by Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias, British ambassador John Kittmer along with Laura Thompson, deputy director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The programme aims at supporting overall management of migration in Greece and at "facilitating the safe return and reintegration of citizens of third countries to their home countries." Referring to the fact that illegal immigration is a priority of the Greek EU Presidency, Dendias remarked that "the programme is expected to contribute substantially to the voluntary return of illegal migrants to their countries of origin."

The rationale for funding the programme was based on the fact that Britain remains the final destination for many illegal migrants, therefore calling for management and control of illegal migration. The project will assist 1,500 illegal migrants to return voluntarily to their countries of origin, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Bangladesh, Morocco, Egypt, India, Nigeria and Sudan.