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President Bush's Visit to Europe:
Finding Common Ground on Migration Management and Security?

For Immediate Release
February 18, 2004

President George W. Bush's meetings with Europe's key leaders next week will take place amidst public ambivalence, fears of terrorism, and economic demands for labor that have made effective management of legal and illegal migration a burning issue on both continents. The volatile public debate about immigration in both Europe and the United States has confronted the president and his European counterparts with an array of common issues, such as spurring cross-border trade despite demands for tighter border security, what role biometric identifiers and other technology should play in their efforts, and meeting international humanitarian obligations, particularly through asylum and resettlement programs, while screening out potential threats.

The Migration Policy Institute has the data and expertise to provide reliable information and analysis on President Bush’s historic visits from a migration perspective.

The Migration Information Source is MPI’s one-stop, web-based migration resource for journalists, policymakers, opinion shapers and researchers. Source articles provide valuable insights on the social and political climate along each step of President Bush’s tour. They include:

Sunday, Feb. 20: President Bush arrives in Belgium

The Challenges of Integration for the EU

Immigrants and EU Labor Markets

The European Born in the United States

Monday, Feb. 21: President Bush Meets with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and French President Jacques Chirac

Belgium’s Immigration Policy Brings Renewal and Challenges

Belgium’s Undocumented Hold Lessons for EU

The Challenge of French Diversity

Tuesday, Feb. 22: President Bush Meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,
and the European Council and European Commission

Immigration, Labor, and Race in the United Kingdom

Italy’s Southern Exposure

Undocumented Immigration Haunts Italy’s Ruling Coalition

The Hague Program Reflects New European Realities

EU Enlargement and the Limits of Freedom

Wednesday, Feb 23: President Bush Meets with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

Germany: Immigration in Transition

Fewer Ethnic Germans Immigrating to Ancestral Homeland

New German Law Skirts Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Thursday, Feb 24: President Bush Meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Migration Dilemmas Haunt Post-Soviet Russia

Russia Beckons, But Diaspora Wary

Migration Policy Institute experts regularly provide analysis and context on unfolding events and policy decisions at local, national and global levels. Analysts available for comment include:

Demetrios G. Papademetriou
President
As MPI President, Demetrios Papademetriou has led the Institute’s work on European migration management. He has extensive knowledge and has published widely on the issues and the people developing legal and policy frameworks for sound migration management throughout Europe. Dr. Papademetriou is the Co-Founder and Chair Emeritus of “Metropolis: An International Forum for Research and Policy on Migration and Cities.”

Kathleen Newland
Director
With more than 20 years of experience, Kathleen Newland is an expert in worldwide migration management, and was the only non-UN participant in the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s Working Group on International Migration. She has worked as an advisor and consultant to various international organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Joanne van Selm
Senior Policy Analyst
Joanne van Selm’s work focuses on European migration issues, refugee protection and humanitarian response, and migration management. Dr. van Selm coordinates MPI’s European Visitor Series and has published widely on European migration, refugee and asylum policies, resettlement, and temporary protection. Her recent publications include two studies for the European Commission on the transfer of protection status and the feasibility of setting up resettlement programs in the EU.

Gregory A. Maniatis
European Fellow
Gregory A. Maniatis is an MPI European Fellow. In that capacity, he has directed the Athens Migration Policy Initiative (AMPI), an initiative launched in collaboration with the Greek government to introduce thoughtful, innovative ideas on migration management into the European policy debate. Mr. Maniatis is a writer and producer whose reportage and commentary have been featured in New York magazine, The Washington Monthly, the International Herald Tribune, PBS Television, and many other publications.

Please click here for additional information on Migration Policy Institute experts on European migration.
European country profiles and additional reports can be accessed by clicking here.

Please visit the Migration Information Source, MPI's award-winning online resource, for more data and analysis on European migration or to join the Source listserv.

For more information or to arrange an interview with an MPI expert on European migration, please contact Colleen Coffey in the Communications Department at ccoffey@migrationpolicy.org or 202/266-1910.