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.

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

Books October 2016 All at Sea: The Policy Challenges of Rescue, Interception, and Long-Term Response to Maritime Migration By Kathleen Newland, Elizabeth Collett, Kate Hooper and Sarah Flamm	Multimedia September 16, 2016 The Mediterranean Dimension of the Refugee Crisis: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for Cooperation
Reports September 2016 Protection on the Move: Eritrean Refugee Flows through the Greater Horn of Africa By Christopher Horwood and Kate Hooper	Reports September 2016 The Evolving Approach to Refugee Protection in Turkey: Assessing the Practical and Political Needs By Metin Çorabatır
Articles August 31, 2016 The New Reality: Germany Adapts to Its Role as a Major Migrant Magnet By Victoria Rietig and Andreas Müller	Multimedia July 14, 2016 Beyond Brexit: The Policy and Political Lessons for Immigration-Anxious Countries
Reports July 2016 Understanding and Addressing Public Anxiety About Immigration (Transatlantic Council Statement) By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan	Commentaries June 2016 When the Dust Settles: Migration Policy after Brexit By Will Somerville

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Policy Briefs December 2003 Rediscovering Resettlement By Gregor Noll and Joanne van Selm	Reports October 2003 The Feasibility of Setting Up Resettlement Schemes in EU Member States or at EU Level By Joanne van Selm, Erin Patrick, Tamara Woroby and Monica Matts
Reports October 2003 The Strategic Use of Resettlement By Joanne van Selm	Reports October 2003 Perceptions of Afghan Refugees By Joanne van Selm
Policy Briefs April 2003 Reconciling Refugee Protection and Security Concerns in Wartime: The Case of Iraq By Monette Zard and Erin Patrick	Policy Briefs September 2001 Background Paper on Immigration and National Security

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Feature

November 1, 2006

France's New Law: Control Immigration Flows, Court the Highly Skilled

After years of debate, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy succeeded in passing a law that he argues will finally allow the government to control immigration. MPI's Kara Murphy looks at the law's main objectives.

Profile

November 1, 2006

Denmark: Integrating Immigrants into a Homogeneous Welfare State

As Ulf Hedetoft of Aalborg University and the Academy for Migration Studies in Denmark explains, the question of how to handle cultural and religious differences has come to dominate the Danish political agenda.

Feature

November 1, 2006

Trans-Saharan Migration to North Africa and the EU: Historical Roots and Current Trends

Sub-Saharan Africans are increasingly migrating to North African countries, with some using the region as a point of transit to Europe and some remaining in North Africa. Hein de Haas of the University of Oxford examines the the region’s migration trends.

Profile

June 1, 2006

Sweden: Restrictive Immigration Policy and Multiculturalism

Although Sweden was once open to labor migrants from across Europe and refugees from all over the world, its policies have become increasingly restrictive over the last 35 years. Today, the country is wrestling with integration issues, as Charles Westin of the Centre for Research in International Migration and Ethnic Relations, Stockholm University, explains.

Feature

June 1, 2006

Europe: Population and Migration in 2005

In Western Europe, every country has more people entering than leaving, and the same is true for many of the Central European countries that joined the European Union in 2004. Rainer Muenz of the Hamburg Institute of International Economics takes a detailed look at the latest European population data.

Recent Activity

Books

October, 2016

All at Sea: The Policy Challenges of Rescue, Interception, and Long-Term Response to Maritime Migration

With maritime migration the subject of significant policy and public focus in Europe, Australia, and beyond, this timely volume reviews the policy responses to irregular maritime arrivals at regional, national, and international levels. The book includes case studies of the major global hotspots—the Mediterranean, Gulf of Aden, Bay of Bengal/Andaman Sea, Australia, and the Caribbean—and examines trends and policy responses.

Audio

September 16, 2016

The Mediterranean Dimension of the Refugee Crisis: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for Cooperation

This discussion focuses on how governments and actors in the Mediterranean region can work together to expand durable solutions for refugees and coordinate efforts to build welcoming communities for newcomers.

Reports

September 2016

Protection on the Move: Eritrean Refugee Flows through the Greater Horn of Africa

Even in a region characterized by mobility, Eritrean refugees stand out for the frequency and distance of their onward movement. With more than 411,000 Eritreans in refugee-like situations, this report outlines how they access protection, the routes they take, and how their high rates of mobility challenge traditional concepts of refugees as static populations and raise questions about how to provide effective protection.

Reports

September 2016

The Evolving Approach to Refugee Protection in Turkey: Assessing the Practical and Political Needs

Turkey hosts more refugees than any other country, having taken in more than 2.7 million Syrians since 2011. Despite Turkey’s generous humanitarian approach, long-term integration prospects for these refugees remain limited. This report assesses the current policy approach to managing the refugee influx and asks what is needed to ensure the long-term stability and success of both refugees and their host communities.

Articles

August 31, 2016

The New Reality: Germany Adapts to Its Role as a Major Migrant Magnet

Although long one of the world's top migrant destinations, only in the recent past has Germany come to acknowledge and adjust to its role as a country of immigration. Its welcoming approach—a relatively new development—has been put to the test amid massive humanitarian inflows beginning in 2015. This country profile examines Germany's history on immigration and highlights current and emerging debates.

Audio, Webinars

July 14, 2016

Beyond Brexit: The Policy and Political Lessons for Immigration-Anxious Countries

The UK vote to exit the European Union has given new momentum to euroskeptic, anti-immigration movements elsewhere. Experts discuss the political and policy lessons that can be learned from Brexit and applied to debates in Europe and North America, including how to address public anxiety over immigration and identity while managing migration in a globalized economy.

Reports

July 2016

Understanding and Addressing Public Anxiety About Immigration (Transatlantic Council Statement)

What factors are fueling rising public anxiety over immigration seen in Europe and North America? This Transatlantic Council report outlines and analyzes the factors that can set the stage for such public unease—some of which have their roots outside of immigration policy per se, and are instead deeply embedded in the global, national, and local contexts within which migration occurs—and offers policymakers strategies to respond.

Commentaries

June 2016

When the Dust Settles: Migration Policy after Brexit

While the political and economic ramifications of the UK vote to quit the European Union hit with full force within hours, it will take far more time to sort out what Brexit means for migration policy. In the short term, the rights of EU nationals living in Britain are the most pressing, with border-control negotiations and future immigration levels also high on the agenda. Against a backdrop of deep public skepticism, this commentary suggests the next government should underpromise and overdeliver.

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