Green MEP Alice Kuhnke has challenged the European Commission over its funding of assisted voluntary return programmes in Cyprus, following reports that the scheme uses coercion and deceit to pressure Syrian refugees into returning to a country where large-scale repatriation is deemed unsafe by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Council of the EU.
In a parliamentary question submitted on 22 April 2026, Kuhnke points to a contradiction between the Commission's stated position on Syria and its financial support for Cyprus's programme, which has received €17.7 million from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). According to Eurostat, Cyprus has carried out some 2,285 assisted voluntary returns to Syria.
Concrete asks and policy direction
The question references a Commission answer from April 2025, in which Commissioner Magnus Brunner reiterated the UNHCR's opposition to large-scale voluntary repatriation to Syria. It also cites the Council's June 2025 conclusions, which reaffirmed that the situation in Syria does not allow for such returns. Kuhnke asks whether the Commission acknowledges a contradiction and, if so, what measures it will take to prevent AMIF funds from enabling large-scale repatriations from Cyprus to Syria.
Expected follow-up
The Commission is expected to respond within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether it views the Cyprus programme as consistent with EU policy and whether it plans to impose conditions on AMIF funding to prevent coercive practices.