Europe

Europe faces an interesting set of immigration challenges and opportunities: Demographic pressures as many European societies age, a lively and at times tense policy and political debate over questions of identity and immigrant integration, and a unique policy environment that has knit many European countries together with regards to free movement, the management of outer borders, asylum, and other immigration-related topics. MPI has long conducted research and analysis of European policy on topics ranging from labor mobility and border security to immigrant integration, citizenship, and foreign qualifications recognition, which can be found below.

Iraqi and Swedish families paired in Sweden's community sponsorship program

Policy Briefs

Supporting Self-Sufficiency: Considerations for Refugees’ Transition out of Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways Programs

As more countries launch refugee sponsorship and complementary pathways programs, planning for and supporting refugees’ transition out of these programs is essential. While often receiving less attention than other elements of program design, a clear transition plan can promote refugees’ self-sufficiency, social cohesion, and overall program sustainability. This MPI Europe issue brief explores common transition challenges as well as promising practices.

Image of female worker at the Boqueria market in Barcelona making a crepe

Commentaries

As Europe and the United States Face Similar Migration Challenges, Spain Can Act as a Bridge

Spain and the United States both receive their greatest number of immigrants from Latin America, and have worked collaboratively together on displacement crises and other migration issues. As shared immigration challenges dominate debate on both sides of the Atlantic, Spain can serve as a vital bridge in the policy conversation, this commentary notes.

Passengers wearing face masks at a UK airport

Reports

Coordination Breakdown: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in Europe

The story of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe is chiefly one of challenges to solidarity and coordination. Cross-border movement—even within Europe’s Schengen Area—ground to a halt, and countries took varied approaches to using travel measures in an attempt to slow the virus’s spread. This report explores the pandemic’s impacts on mobility to and within Europe, its challenges to European solidarity, and lessons for future public-health crises.

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Multimedia April 20, 2018 Making Every Encounter Count: Using Peer Support to Improve Refugee Resettlement	Articles April 18, 2018 Once Homogenous, Tiny Iceland Opens Its Doors to Immigrants By Timothy Heleniak and Hjördis Rut Sigurjonsdottir
Reports April 2018 Next Steps: Implementing a Brexit Deal for UK Citizens Living in the EU-27 By Meghan Benton, Aliyyah Ahad, Michaela Benson, Katherine Collins, Helen McCarthy and Karen O’Reilly	Multimedia April 12, 2018 Responding to Early Childhood Education and Care Needs of Children of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Europe and North America
Multimedia April 10, 2018 Family Immigration Policy and Trends: How the United States Compares to Other Countries	Reports April 2018 Responding to the ECEC Needs of Children of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe and North America By Maki Park, Caitlin Katsiaficas and Margie McHugh
Policy Briefs April 2018 It’s Relative: A Crosscountry Comparison of Family-Migration Policies and Flows By Kate Hooper and Brian Salant	Reports March 2018 Scaling up Refugee Resettlement in Europe: The Role of Institutional Peer Support By Hanne Beirens and Aliyyah Ahad

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Books November 2010 Diasporas: New Partners in Global Development Policy	Books November 2010 Prioritizing Integration
Reports November 2010 Voice After Exit: Diaspora Advocacy By Kathleen Newland	Reports October 2010 Migration and Immigrants Two Years after the Financial Collapse: Where Do We Stand? By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption and Aaron Terrazas
Reports September 2010 Diaspora Philanthropy: Private Giving and Public Policy By Kathleen Newland, Aaron Terrazas and Roberto Munster	Reports September 2010 Heritage Tourism and Nostalgia Trade: A Diaspora Niche in the Development Landscape By Kathleen Newland and Carylanna Taylor
Reports August 2010 Connected through Service: Diaspora Volunteers and Global Development By Aaron Terrazas	Reports May 2010 Immigrant Integration: Priorities for the Next Decade (Transatlantic Council Statement) By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Annette Heuser

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Top Ten

December 2, 2010

Europe, Wary of Immigration and Immigrants, Reaches an Inflection Point

A number of events in 2010 across the continent, and particularly in places long seen as moderate, seem to indicate a larger shift away from openness.

Top Ten

December 2, 2010

When All Else Fails, Leave: Emigration from Europe's New Destinations on the Rise

Although non-Irish nationals, particularly those from Eastern Europe, led the exodus, Irish nationals now make up a sizeable proportion of those leaving, and Greece appears poised to become a net exporter of people as well.

Top Ten

December 2, 2010

Painful Cuts to Integration Budgets - Even in Places Committed to Immigrant Integration

There's no getting around the fact that integrating immigrants costs money. That explains why recession-battered European countries, as well as a number of U.S. states, made cuts to programs affecting immigrants in 2009 and again in 2010.

Feature

October 21, 2010

France's Expulsion of Roma Migrants: A Test Case for Europe

Europe's largest minority group has long faced discrimination, but France's deportation of Roma as part of its security policies has sparked criticism from the European Union and human rights groups. Kristi Severance explains how the situation has evolved in recent months, the relevant EU laws, and how Europe is likely to move forward.

Profile

September 1, 2010

EU Membership Highlights Poland's Migration Challenges

Since joining the European Union in 2004, Poland has experienced one of the largest emigration flows in its postwar history. But the country has also received thousands of immigrants and refugees, mainly from its eastern neighbors, and is just beginning to invest in immigrant integration. Krystyna Iglicka and Magdalena Ziolek-Skrzypczak look at all aspects of migration in Poland in this updated profile.

Recent Activity

Articles

December 20, 2022

‘Recalcitrant’ and ‘Uncooperative’: Why Some Countries Refuse to Accept Return of Their Deportees

Every year, thousands of migrants ordered deported from EU Member States, the United States, and elsewhere are not returned to their origin countries. Why? One reason is the multiple nations that refuse to cooperate on readmitting their nationals abroad. This article explores the motivations behind countries’ lack of cooperation and how deporting states have responded.

Expert Q&A, Audio

December 15, 2022

A Century of Climate Migration Upheaval? An Audacious Prediction for the Future

As the planet’s temperature warms, award-winning environmental journalist Gaia Vince thinks humanity is facing a chaotic century of mass migration spurred by climate change? In this episode of Changing Climate, Changing Migration, she contemplates a future in which hundreds of millions of people move from one part of the globe to another.

Video, Audio

December 13, 2022

The Ukrainian Displacement Crisis: A Conversation with the European Commission's Director General for Migration and Home Affairs

Monique Pariat, the European Commission’s Director General for Migration and Home Affairs, spoke to the DC policy community on Europe’s rapid response to the Ukrainian displacement crisis, lessons learned, and considerations for future policies.

Expert Q&A, Audio

December 8, 2022

The “Great Replacement” Theory and the Often-Toxic Stew of Immigration and Nationalism

Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan and researcher Justin Gest discuss the confluence of polarization, nationalism, and immigration, as well as how increasingly diverse societies come up with a new definition of "we".

Policy Briefs

November 2022

Reassessing Recruitment Costs in a Changing World of Labor Migration

Migrant workers can pay a range of costs when they are recruited and relocate for jobs abroad, accruing significant debt. While many countries, international organizations, and other stakeholders have sought to reduce or eliminate recruitment costs, the pandemic has exacerbated and added to these expenses. This policy brief explores how the costs migrant workers face have changed, and what these developments mean for efforts to promote fair and ethical recruitment.

Reports

November 2022

Financing Responses to Climate Migration: The Unique Role of Multilateral Development Banks

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) have emerged as major players in responding to climate change, investing in sustainable infrastructure and climate resilience. But while many MDBs have shown interest in projects with positive impacts for climate migrants and host communities, they sometimes struggle to maximize these effects. This report examines MDBs’ role in responding to climate-related migration and displacement to date and opportunities to scale up their work.

Articles

November 10, 2022

Millionaire Migration Rises and Heads to New Destinations

Migrant millionaires are once again on the move, though headed to new destinations amid fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While wealthy new arrivals can help provide a healthy tax base and invest in local economies, they can upset housing markets and exacerbate wealth disparities, as this article describes.

Articles

November 2, 2022

Living in Limbo: Displaced Ukrainians in Poland

Poland hosts millions of Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion. While the new arrivals have tended to have been greeted warmly, many have questions about the future. As the months pass, many displaced Ukrainians wonder when and if they will return to their native country. This article, based on interviews with dozens of displaced Ukrainians in Poland, examines their experiences.

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