E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
Europe

Europe

European Union

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.

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.

Young Syrian man and social worker in Turkey
Reports

Confronting Compassion Fatigue: Understanding the Arc of Public Support for Displaced Populations in Turkey, Colombia, and Europe

Large-scale displacement can trigger instability and feelings of threat in refugee host countries. But in certain cases, it can also uncover deep wells of solidarity that create space for generous policy responses. This report explores factors that can foster and erode public support for forced migrants, drawing examples from attitudes towards Syrians in Turkey, Venezuelans in Colombia, and Ukrainians in Europe.

Recent Activity

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Multimedia
June 23, 2016
Using Supplementary School Funding to Improve the Educational Outcomes of Migrant-Background Students: A Transatlantic Comparison
RefugeeBoat BenWhite CAFOD
Articles
June 22, 2016
Asylum Seeker and Migrant Flows in the Mediterranean Adapt Rapidly to Changing Conditions
By Caitlin Katsiaficas
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Reports
June 2016
Improving Education for Migrant-Background Students: A Transatlantic Comparison of School Funding
By  Julie Sugarman, Simon Morris-Lange and Margie McHugh
Event PH 2016.6.16 State Secretary Lars Westbratt at MPI Event
Multimedia
June 16, 2016
How to Fix the Global Migration Management System
PolandRefugees DenisBocquet Flickr
Articles
June 16, 2016
Diminishing Solidarity: Polish Attitudes toward the European Migration and Refugee Crisis
By Bart Bachman
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Commentaries
June 2016
Blue Card Redux: European Commission Plan to Recast Work Permit for Highly Skilled Holds Question Marks
By  Maria Vincenza Desiderio
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Reports
June 2016
Understanding the Creation of Public Consensus: Migration and Integration in Germany, 2005 to 2015
By  Friedrich Heckmann
Event PH 2016.5.25 BREXIT WEBINAR
Multimedia
May 25, 2016
Will Britain Leave the EU? The Role of Immigration in Brexit

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Feature
March 1, 2006
Migration, Integration, and Security in the UK Since July 7

The July 7, 2005, suicide bombings in London's transport system were carried out mainly by men born and raised in the United Kingdom. James Hampshire and Shamit Saggar of the University of Sussex explain how subsequent policy discussions are linking immigration issues to UK security concerns.

Profile
February 1, 2006
Latvia Looks West, But Legacy of Soviets Remains

Although this former Soviet republic joined the European Union in 2004, its main concern is its large ethnic Russian population. Tim Heleniak of the University of Maryland explains.

Profile
January 1, 2006
Caught Between East and West, Ukraine Struggles with Its Migration Policy

Since its independence in 1991, Ukraine has expanded immigration and emigration rights – but it has also become a neighbor of the expanded European Union, a crossroads for illegal migration, and fertile ground for human traffickers. Olena Malynovksa of the National Institute for International Security Problems in Kyiv reports.

Top Ten
December 1, 2005
EU Disunion: Immigration in an Enlarged Europe

Only the UK, Ireland, and Sweden have allowed accession-state nationals to work without permits since May 1, 2004 — and hundreds of thousands from Eastern Europe have arrived.

Top Ten
December 1, 2005
Challenges of Immigrant Integration: Muslims in Europe

Only recently have European politicians and public opinion leaders talked about the need to focus on the integration of immigrants and their children.

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Recent Activity

Video, Audio, Webinars
June 23, 2016

Using Supplementary School Funding to Improve the Educational Outcomes of Migrant-Background Students: A Transatlantic Comparison

Report authors and an ELL professional discuss the mechanics of school funding and the specialized services provided for migrant-background students in the United States, Canada, France, and Germany. Speakers also highlight the choices facing policymakers who seek to use supplementary funding to better support effective, high-quality education for children from immigrant and refugee families.

Articles
June 22, 2016

Asylum Seeker and Migrant Flows in the Mediterranean Adapt Rapidly to Changing Conditions

Movements of migrants and asylum seekers in the Mediterranean have shown to be highly fluid, adapting quickly to changing conditions at origin, transit, and destination. This article examines the shifts in flows across the three major Mediterranean routes since 2008 and the complex web of often interconnected factors underpinning these movements.

Reports
June 2016

Improving Education for Migrant-Background Students: A Transatlantic Comparison of School Funding

This report sheds light on supplementary funding mechanisms targeted to migrant-background students in four countries—Canada, France, Germany, and the United States—and some of the key challenges and strategies decisionmakers face as they attempt to ensure that additional resources are used effectively to remedy the achievement gaps that immigrant and refugee students often confront.

Video, Audio
June 16, 2016

How to Fix the Global Migration Management System

Swedish and U.S. government officials, and MPI's Kathleen Newland discuss global and national responses to rising displacement, innovations in managing migration processes, and attempts to address the dysfunctional aspects of international migration, in a discussion organized by MPI and the Embassy of Sweden to the United States.

Articles
June 16, 2016

Diminishing Solidarity: Polish Attitudes toward the European Migration and Refugee Crisis

While Poland held a generally positive opinion of immigration throughout the early 2000s, public attitudes toward refugees have shifted decidedly rightward since the onset of Europe's migration and refugee crisis. This article explores the complex, intersecting anxieties at play in Poland and the role of political rhetoric in stoking these sentiments

Commentaries
June 2016

Blue Card Redux: European Commission Plan to Recast Work Permit for Highly Skilled Holds Question Marks

The European Commission has unveiled a bold plan to revitalize the Blue Card system, which has proven lackluster in attracting highly skilled international talent and has received little uptake from Member States. This commentary examines the proposal and its possible effects, and discusses possible reactions by EU Member States, many of whom are likely to mount resistance to the plan.

Reports
June 2016

Understanding the Creation of Public Consensus: Migration and Integration in Germany, 2005 to 2015

As immigrant-skeptic movements gained salience, and even political representation, in several European countries in recent years, Germany remained a relative outlier until mid-2015. This report explains how a pro-immigrant consensus evolved and persisted in Germany during the period from 2005—as the country emerged from recession and embarked on a reform of its immigration laws—through to the events of mid-2015.

Video, Audio, Webinars
May 25, 2016

Will Britain Leave the EU? The Role of Immigration in Brexit

A discussion on how the politics and migration policies of the British government influenced the decision to hold the "Brexit" referendum, how public attitudes towards immigration might influence the decision whether the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, and how the outcome might impact migration policy in the United Kingdom and European Union more broadly.

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