EU - Return & Reintegration in Kosovo

The EU - Return and Reintegration in Kosovo (RRK) is an EU-funded programme managed by the European Union Office in Kosovo, implemented by IOM Kosovo. The programme is part of a longe term partnership between IOM Kosovo, the EU Office in Kosovo, and the Ministry for Communities and Returns to support the process of returns and help returnees to integrate into Kosovar society.  

EU-RRK phase III:

EU-RRK III was the first phase of the project implemented by IOM, aiming to contribute to a tolerant multi-ethnic society, as well as the rights-based and sustainable return and reintegration of minority IIDP, IDP, and refugee families. The goals of the programme were to facilitate the migration management capacities of civil society and government authorities on both the central and municipal levels. IOM Kosovo partnered with three local NGOs: DT (Developing Together), APPK (Employment Promotion Agency Kosovo) and CPT (Center for Peace and Tolerance), all of them with many years of experience and expertise in different elements related to the return processes to strengthen the capacity of local actors to take over the implementation of return programmes entirely. During the project implementation period, a total of 210 families were supported of all Kosovo ethnicities. For more information on EU-RRK III, see the Project Update sheet.

EU-RRK phase IV:

Building up further on the work of the previous phase, EU-RRK IV has been implemented from November 2014 to July 2017 in seven (7) Kosovo municipalities, with about 4 million Euros allocated by the European Union Office in Kosovo through the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) to address the rights-based and sustainable return and reintegration of minority returnees. Additional 2 million Euros were co-funded by the Ministry of Communities and Return (MCR). The overall objective of EU-RRK IV was to contribute to the creation of an enduring, tolerant, multi-ethnic environment Kosovo which ensures the basic human right of displaced non-majority community members to a safe, secure, and sustainable return and reintegration in dignity. In terms of project figures, a total of 262 families were assisted with housing (re)construction and with respective socio-economic assistance packages to alleviate their reintegration into the return locations. For more information, have a look at the project leaflet in English, Albanian, or Serbian or see the Project Update sheet.

Also, make sure to watch our EU-RRK IV Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TILcUqy-Ui0

EU-RRK phase V:

The current, 42-month EU-RRK V started in November 2017 and has been assisting in returning non-majority Displaced Persons in the Region (DPR's), Internally Displaced Persons (IDP's) and refugees in their return and reintegration process, and supports central and local level authorities to address the needs of these communities in eleven municipalities around Kosovo. Within the framework of the project beneficiaries do not only receive housing assistance and/or housing reconstruction, but also a wider assistance package facilitating Income Generation in the future. Besides, EU-RRK V is also engaged in small-scale infrastructure projects, especially to address and improve the infrastructure needs of both returnees and the receiving community. For more information, have a look at the project fact sheets in English, Albanian, or Serbian.