E.g., 02/03/2023
E.g., 02/03/2023
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

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Reports
May 2014
Supporting Immigrant Integration in Europe? Developing the Governance for Diaspora Engagement
By  Maria Vincenza Desiderio
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Reports
April 2014
Catching Up: The Labor Market Outcomes of New Immigrants in Sweden
By  Pieter Bevelander and Nahikari Irastorza
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Reports
March 2014
The Future of Immigrant Integration in Europe: Mainstreaming Approaches for Inclusion
By  Elizabeth Collett and Milica Petrovic
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Reports
March 2014
A Precarious Position: The Labor Market Integration of New Immigrants in Spain
By  Núria Rodríguez-Planas and Natalia Nollenberger
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Reports
March 2014
A Tumultuous Decade: Employment Outcomes of Immigrants in the Czech Republic
By  Daniel Münich
EventPH 2014.02.19 A Transatlantic Conversation Managing Migration in the Era of Mobility2
Multimedia
February 19, 2014
A Transatlantic Conversation: Managing Migration in the Era of Mobility
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Reports
February 2014
'Donkey Flights:' Illegal Immigration from the Punjab to the United Kingdom
By  Nicola Smith
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Reports
February 2014
Human Smuggling and Trafficking into Europe: A Comparative Perspective
By  Louise Shelley

Pages

Feature
September 1, 2002
German Immigration Law Clears Final Hurdle
Following a bitterly contested vote in Parliament, Germany's president has signed the nation's first immigration law.
Feature
September 1, 2002
Options Dwindle for Asylum Seekers in France
Fewer opportunities may await asylum seekers in France, where stricter policies are overlapping with strained resources.
Feature
July 1, 2002
French Voters Rebuff Immigration's Resurgent Foes
Though roundly defeated in the French presidential elections, the extreme right may continue to influence French immigration policy.
Feature
July 1, 2002
Churches Help Sink German Anti-Discrimination Bill
The Green Party has been blocked from pushing through new anti-discrimination legislation, mainly by religious groups.
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Profile
May 1, 2002
Italy's Southern Exposure
Italy has struggled to find the right tone and approach toward immigration. In this newly updated profile, Managing Editor Kim Hamilton tackles the dilemmas facing Italian policymakers today.

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Recent Activity

Reports
May 2014

Supporting Immigrant Integration in Europe? Developing the Governance for Diaspora Engagement

This report examines the complexity of immigrant integration governance in EU Member States, and offers detailed mapping of the origin-country institutions that are increasingly involved in integration-related activities. It explores how EU institutions can maximize opportunities for cooperation between origin and destination countries on integration governance.

Reports
April 2014

Catching Up: The Labor Market Outcomes of New Immigrants in Sweden

Many of Sweden's immigrants are refugees who lack the skills and education to gain employment soon after they arrive. Over time, however, newcomers to Sweden have improved their employment rates, displayed income growth similar to natives, and moved from low- to middle-skilled positions. This report assesses how new immigrants—refugees, labor migrants, and others—fare in Sweden's labor market.
Reports
March 2014

The Future of Immigrant Integration in Europe: Mainstreaming Approaches for Inclusion

A quiet policy transformation is taking place in Europe, as policymakers increasingly turn to a strategy of "mainstreaming" immigrant integration—seeking to reach people with a migration background through needs-based social programming and policies that also target the general population. This report assesses mainstreaming efforts across government in Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Reports
March 2014

A Precarious Position: The Labor Market Integration of New Immigrants in Spain

This report assesses how new immigrants to Spain fare in the country's labor market, evaluating the conditions under which they are able to find employment, and their progress out of unskilled work into middle-skilled jobs. The report is part of a series of six case studies on labor market outcomes among immigrants to European Union countries.

Reports
March 2014

A Tumultuous Decade: Employment Outcomes of Immigrants in the Czech Republic

This report assesses the labor market outcomes of new immigrants in the Czech Republic, focusing on trends according to year of arrival, country of origin, gender, level of education, and sector of employment. The analysis suggests that the challenge of reducing obstacles to immigrant workers’ progression into more skilled employment are worth significant policy attention.
Video, Audio
February 19, 2014

A Transatlantic Conversation: Managing Migration in the Era of Mobility

This discussion explores how the 2014 Greek Presidency of the European Union and the United States can work to address the challenges of managing migration while meeting humanitarian obligations and nurturing economic growth.

Reports
February 2014

Human Smuggling and Trafficking into Europe: A Comparative Perspective

This report examines human trafficking and smuggling trends and routes to Europe, and profiles the facilitators and clients/victims of such activities. It also offers a menu of policy options that are likely to reduce trafficking and smuggling flows, noting that such policies must be multifaceted to address a variety of contributing factors simultaneously.
Reports
February 2014

'Donkey Flights:' Illegal Immigration from the Punjab to the United Kingdom

This report, based on an undercover exposé of Punjabi visa agencies by The Sunday Times, sketches one immigration loophole into Europe: so-called “donkey flights” by which Indian migrants obtain a tourist visa for a Schengen-zone country in order to enter the United Kingdom through the back door. Thousands of visa agencies operate in the Punjab region alone, with varying degrees of legality, some having links to criminal smuggling networks across Europe.

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