E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
European Union

European Union

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In the European Union, enlargement, special arrangements for the expansion of the Schengen Area, and the gradual development of a stronger EU role in immigration have added new complexity to the policy landscape, leading to both new patterns of movement and new policies for governing immigration from outside of the European Union's 27 Member States. The research offered here focuses on migration policies, trends, and common challenges that affect Europe at a supranational level—from free movement to asylum policy and the management of EU borders.

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Commentaries

One Phase Closes for the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Now Another Begins

The New Pact on Migration and Asylum agreed in December 2023 by EU Member States and the European Parliament after lengthy negotiation will, without a doubt, go down in history as a signal political accomplishment. But will it result in better management of migration and asylum systems in a complex era? The outcome will turn on implementation and communication, this MPI Europe commentary explains.

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Policy Briefs

What Role Could Digital Technologies Play in the New EU Pact on Migration and Asylum?

With EU migration systems under strain, many observers have high hopes that the New Pact on Migration and Asylum will be able to help Europe address pressing challenges. This policy brief explores how digital technologies could support the implementation of the pact, should it be approved, as well as areas where caution is merited.

Recent Activity

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Reports
July 2013
Recognizing Foreign Qualifications: Emerging Global Trends
By  Lesleyanne Hawthorne
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Reports
July 2013
Tackling Brain Waste: Strategies to Improve the Recognition of Immigrants’ Foreign Qualifications
By  Madeleine Sumption
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Policy Briefs
May 2013
Migration and Environmental Change: Assessing the Developing European Approach
By  Andrew Geddes and Will Somerville
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Reports
March 2013
The Integration Needs of Mobile EU Citizens: Impediments and Opportunities
By  Elizabeth Collett
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Policy Briefs
February 2013
Facing 2020: Developing a New European Agenda for Immigration and Asylum Policy
By  Elizabeth Collett
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Reports
February 2013
How Free Is Free Movement? Dynamics and Drivers of Mobility within the European Union
By  Meghan Benton and Milica Petrovic
Articles
December 1, 2012
As Migration of Unaccompanied Minors Endures, and in Some Cases Rises, Governments Seek to Respond
By MPI
Articles
December 1, 2012
2012 Proved a Year of Migration Management Headaches in the European Union
By MPI

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Recent Activity

Reports
July 2013

Recognizing Foreign Qualifications: Emerging Global Trends

This report provides an overview of the global trends in the recognition of foreign credentials, and describes new and flexible ways that governments can recognize the qualifications of immigrants.

Reports
July 2013

Skills, Professional Regulation, and International Mobility in the Engineering Workforce

This report explains the basic structure of the engineering workforce, and the elements that influence the ability of engineers to move across borders. It examines recent efforts to address national differences in education and accreditation, and also considers how serious the barriers to international migration for engineers are in practice.

Policy Briefs
May 2013

Migration and Environmental Change: Assessing the Developing European Approach

This policy brief explores the relationship between environmental change and migration to Europe in light of recent scholarship challenging the notion that environmental change triggers mass migration. It presents an overview of European policy response in this area and summarizes the spectrum of proposed solutions.
Reports
March 2013

The Integration Needs of Mobile EU Citizens: Impediments and Opportunities

The integration of mobile EU citizens as a specific target group has not been widely discussed, either at EU or national levels, and EU-level integration policies focus on the integration of legally residing third-country nationals. This report investigates the broad range of integration needs that exist in Europe.

Reports
February 2013

How Free Is Free Movement? Dynamics and Drivers of Mobility within the European Union

While free movement is at the heart of the European project, the merits and impacts of intra-EU mobility have come under significant scrutiny recently amid public anxiety about competition for jobs and exploitation of welfare systems. This report provides a detailed assessment of free movement, motivations for migration, and challenges countries may need to address as intra-EU mobility enters its next phase. 

Policy Briefs
February 2013

Facing 2020: Developing a New European Agenda for Immigration and Asylum Policy

As the European Commission looks ahead to the next strategic program for immigration in 2014, this policy brief sketches the challenges in developing a strategic, long-term agenda on migration at a time when Europe remains beset by fiscal uncertainty and a jobs crisis that is particularly acute for the young. Against such a backdrop, few governments are willing to have a serious conversation about anything but skilled immigration.

Articles
December 1, 2012

Migration Flows Rise, Diversify as Global Economy Stumbles Toward Recovery

Migration flows that were stalled for a period by the pronounced recession that began in 2008 have resumed to a number of OECD countries, including the United States where there appears to be a slight increase in Mexican migration for the first time in several years. More migrants seem to be choosing emerging economies, including Brazil, China, and South Africa, over traditional destinations.

Articles
December 1, 2012

Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Just One of Several Campaign Messages for Far-Right Parties

The electoral fortunes of far-right parties, a number of which campaigned using anti-immigrant messages, varied during 2012, with notable albeit small advances for Greece’s extremist Golden Dawn party. For the most part, however, extreme-right politicians continue to struggle to build sizeable support; and in Europe, the anti-immigration discourse has been overshadowed by anti-Brussels rhetoric and anger over high unemployment and austerity measures.

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