E.g., 01/27/2023
E.g., 01/27/2023
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.

A flow chart showing the steps of the policy cycle
Policy Briefs

Promoting Evidence-Informed Immigrant Integration Policymaking

While many policy areas have seen a revolution in how information is gathered, shared, and used to inform new policies and improve existing ones, immigrant integration has not kept pace. This policy brief explores why integration policy in Europe has not yet seen the development of a robust evidence culture and offers recommendations for creating an environment in which evidence-informed policymaking can flourish.

Image of women and young children from Ukraine arriving at train station in Bucharest
Commentaries

Why the European Labor Market Integration of Displaced Ukrainians Is Defying Expectations

People displaced from Ukraine are finding work more rapidly in European countries than prior refugee cohorts. But uncertainty over how long they will stay, combined with hurdles such as language barriers, has meant many are prioritizing any job over the right job. This commentary examines how policymakers could address this waste of skills as they seek to fill pressing labor needs and facilitate deeper integration of the new arrivals.

Two women at a Sudanese community center rehabilitated by IOM and a local NGO
Policy Briefs

Embedding Reintegration Assistance for Returning Migrants in the Local Context: The Role of Referrals

Although European programs to support returning migrants’ reintegration into the communities where they settle have expanded and improved in recent years, returning—at times after years away—is never easy. This policy brief looks at how reintegration programs can adapt the assistance they provide to the local context and connect returnees with longer-term support through referrals, and what it takes to make these referrals successful.

Recent Activity

A father and son wave flags at the Estonian Song Festival in Tallinn.
Articles
June 1, 2017
Estonian Citizenship Policy: The Restoration of a Country Leads to Statelessness for Some
By David J. Trimbach
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Multimedia
May 24, 2017
Building an Evidence Base to Support Refugee Resettlement
Taking Stock of Refugee Resettlement: Policy Objectives, Practical Tradeoffs, and the Evidence Base
Reports
May 2017
Taking Stock of Refugee Resettlement: Policy Objectives, Practical Tradeoffs, and the Evidence Base
By  Hanne Beirens and Susan Fratzke
St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
Articles
May 18, 2017
Russia: A Migration System with Soviet Roots
By Olga Chudinovskikh and Mikhail Denisenko
us embassy london mosque
Articles
May 10, 2017
Strife Abroad, Responses at Home: Muslims in the West and Conflict Spillover
By Juris Pupcenoks
EVENT PH 2016.4.12 flickr European Union Plenary debate on Greece with PM Alexis Tsipras Marine Le Pen (ENF, France)
Multimedia
April 12, 2017
Immigration and its Discontents: European Elections and Future Policy
_BrexitFamily
Commentaries
March 2017
A Game of Chess, Not Tennis: Unraveling the Rights and Status of “Brexpats”
By  Elizabeth Collett and Meghan Benton
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Commentaries
March 2017
The Dutch Elections: How to Lose and Still Shape the Direction of a Country—and Possibly a Continent?
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan

Pages

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Reports
October 2009
The Evolution of German Media Coverage of Migration
By  Gualtiero Zambonini
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Reports
October 2009
Political Rhetoric in the Netherlands: Reframing Crises in the Media
By  Maarten Hajer and Wytske Versteeg
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Reports
October 2009
Future Immigration Patterns and Policies in the United Kingdom
By  Will Somerville
cover GermanyFuture
Reports
October 2009
The Future of Migration and Integration Policy in Germany
By  Rita Süssmuth
cover mediaUK
Reports
October 2009
The Media and Migration in the United Kingdom, 1999 to 2009
By  Terry Threadgold
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Reports
September 2009
Migration and the Global Recession
By  Michael Fix, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Jeanne Batalova, Aaron Terrazas, Serena Yi-Ying Lin and Michelle Mittelstadt
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Reports
June 2009
Education, Diversity, and the Second Generation: A Discussion Guide
By  Michael Fix and Margie McHugh
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Reports
June 2009
The Social Mobility of Immigrants and Their Children
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption and Will Somerville

Pages

Profile
July 21, 2009
United Kingdom: A Reluctant Country of Immigration

Recent immigration to the United Kingdom is larger and more diverse than at any point in its history. This updated profile examines how the global recession is affecting migration flows, the latest immigration and asylum data, and overviews of new immigration and integration policies.

Feature
June 9, 2009
Switzerland's Non-EU Immigrants: Their Integration and Swiss Attitudes

Nearly 40 percent of Switzerland's 1.6 million foreign residents come from countries outside the European Union. Julie Schindall examines the latest data on this population, integration indicators and policies, and political rhetoric and public opinion.

Feature
January 26, 2009
Feedback and Belonging: Explaining the Dynamics of Diversity

The idea of belonging is a powerful lens for examining immigrant integration. Geoff Mulgan of the Young Foundation in the United Kingdom outlines 10 key feedback circuits, including the economy, culture, and physical environment, from which people receive messages about belonging.

Top Ten
December 4, 2008
The Recession-Proof Race for Highly Skilled Migrants

Gloomy economic forecasts do not seem to have slowed the hunt for highly skilled migrants or foreign students — the best near-term solution to fill shortages and enhance competitiveness.

Top Ten
December 4, 2008
"Buyer's Remorse" on Immigration Policy

The current economic downturn has made many destination countries cautious about welcoming permanent migrants, with some expressing the policy equivalent of buyer's remorse: paying too high a price for something no longer desired.

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Recent Activity

Articles
June 1, 2017

Estonian Citizenship Policy: The Restoration of a Country Leads to Statelessness for Some

What happens when a country reverts to an earlier citizenship policy? When Estonia did just that after gaining independence in 1991, a new class of stateless residents emerged, comprised of Soviet-era Russian-speaking migrants and their descendants. This article explores the effects of Estonia's post-Soviet citizenship policy on its Russian-speaking population, particularly with regard to political participation and civic engagement.

Video, Audio, Webinars
May 24, 2017

Building an Evidence Base to Support Refugee Resettlement

Marking the release of an MPI Europe report commissioned as part of the EU-FRANK project, this webinar examines critical gaps in the research and evaluation of refugee resettlement programs and recommendations for improving evidence gathering and knowledge sharing between resettlement countries. 

Reports
May 2017

Taking Stock of Refugee Resettlement: Policy Objectives, Practical Tradeoffs, and the Evidence Base

With displacement at a record high, governments around the world are looking for ways to jumpstart, expand, or maximize the impact of their refugee resettlement programs. Yet the evidence base regarding the effectiveness of such programs is particularly thin. This report maps the gaps in knowledge that exist and identifies areas where further research could help inform policymakers' actions.

Articles
May 18, 2017

Russia: A Migration System with Soviet Roots

The history of dynamic migration flows throughout the Soviet Union pre- and post-collapse has significantly shaped the current migration reality in Russia. Even as borders have shifted and policies changed, inflows and outflows still occur mostly within the former Soviet space. As this article explores, Russia has worked in recent decades to strengthen its migration management system and update its residence and citizenship policies.

Articles
May 10, 2017

Strife Abroad, Responses at Home: Muslims in the West and Conflict Spillover

A number of high-profile terrorist attacks in the West have raised questions about why geopolitical events sometimes trigger strong, violent reactions in certain diaspora communities, but not in others. What could be behind this divergence in responses? This article examines how Muslim communities in London and Detroit have reacted to conflict abroad, as well as the factors that drive reactive conflict spillover.

Video, Audio, Webinars
April 12, 2017

Immigration and its Discontents: European Elections and Future Policy

Public anxiety about immigration and the fast pace of social change has reached a boiling point in many parts of Europe, contributing (in part) to the ascent of populist far-right parties. This discussion focuses on how the French election is unfolding, what we can learn from Brexit and the Dutch elections, and what these results portend (if anything) for the next round of political contests in Europe. Experts consider how governments can manage broader public concerns about rapid social change, economic opportunity, and security in ways that can reduce public anxiety over immigration and restore the public's trust. 

Commentaries
March 2017

A Game of Chess, Not Tennis: Unraveling the Rights and Status of “Brexpats”

As the process of removing the United Kingdom from the European Union gets underway, the rights of the 1.2 million UK citizens or “Brexpats” who have chosen to live in one of the 27 other EU countries have been largely overshadowed. This MPI Europe commentary explores some of the many complexities ahead in negotiating rights for these individuals in a post-Brexit world.

Commentaries
March 2017

The Dutch Elections: How to Lose and Still Shape the Direction of a Country—and Possibly a Continent?

The failure of Geert Wilders’ right-wing, anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV) to become the top vote-getter in the Dutch parliamentary elections is being hailed as proof of the limits of anti-Muslim rhetoric and even the “waning” of the appeal of right-wing populism. But as this commentary explores, a closer reading leads one to a more nuanced interpretation of the results and the recognition that Wilders will remain a major force.

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