Cooperation with third states constitutes an important pillar of the EU’s migration policy. This study analyses to which extent the cooperation between the EU and its neighbouring countries had an impact on the protection of the rights of migrants and refugees in the respective countries. It gives a general overview of the state of the art of national migration policies and legislations in the Eastern and Western European neighbourhood and the Western Balkan states. .Three case studies on Georgia, Kosovo and Lebanon illustrate further the country specific situation of migrants and refugees ...