As from 2014, the Return and Reintegration Experts' Group (REG) will work under the auspices of the European Migration Network. REG takes over the work of the Voluntary Return European Network (VREN), which was coordinated by the International Organisation for Migration.

REG aims primarily at increasing the operational cooperation among Member States in order to assist more irregular migrants to (voluntarily) return in a humane and dignified manner to their country of origin or to a transit country.

In the long term, the work performed by the VREG will aim at:  

• identifying players active in the field of return in the Member States and in the countries of return;
• evaluating assisted voluntary return policies in Europe and reinforcing the coherence and thus the efficiency among the national voluntary return programs/national reintegration projects;
• promoting common initiatives to develop synergies/convergences among these programs/projects and allow economies of scale;
• sharing and disseminating up-to-date information on experiences with the countries of return and/or about the return of specific categories of migrants.

During the first meeting, on 14 February 2014 in Brussels, the VREG-members discussed the 2014 activity program on voluntary return. The next meeting will be held on 29 April 2014, focussing on voluntary return to Afghanistan and Pakistan.