Migration

Migration is the movement of persons away from their place of usual residence, within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently. Migrants mostly choose to migrate in search of better job opportunities, but also in view of family reunification or study opportunities.

The drivers of migration, often defined as root causes, respond to the question of  why people migrate. These drivers are complex, multiple and influenced by mixed dynamics that shape migration. Social, cultural norms and aspirations, economic or gender considerations, or the perceptions of alternatives to migration can play a role in the decision to migrate, including through irregular channels. Beyond individual considerations, one should also look at structural factors such as the lack of economic opportunities in the home country, development lags in remote regions or the inability to build resilience measures. Migration is also a coping mechanism for people faced with environmental hazards and disasters such as droughts, floods, or the risk thereof. Often these migration drivers are influenced and enhanced by each other, creating mixed motivations to migrate irregularly.

Our Approach: 

We help our partner countries to address the root causes of irregular migration, by fostering their resilience, stability, and security, improving governance, and supporting them in the creation of socioeconomic and job opportunities, as well as in the development of skills that match the internal and external (legal migration) demand. Being already the world's largest provider of development assistance, the New Pact for Migration and Asylum asks to increase the support to addressing the root causes of irregular migration.   

Globally, the majority of migrants undertake their journeys in a regular and safe manner. In some cases, however, migration takes place through irregular channels. Irregular migration comes with many negative consequences for the migrants themselves and for their countries of origin. Migrants in an irregular situation are often easy prey of smugglers and of traffickers for exploitation, putting their lives and dignity at risk through dangerous journeys. Irregular migration can also affect the country of origin’s relations with transit and destination countries.   

Addressing the risks and vulnerabilities underpinning irregular migration and forced displacement while harnessing the benefits of regular migration is critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to ensure that no one is left behind. 

Our Approach: 

• Reinforcing cooperation with partner countries to tackle irregular migration remains a key objective. 
• Tailor-made information campaigns can help clarify the realities faced by those using irregular channels, and promote safe alternatives, including information on legal pathways and on opportunities in the country of origin.
• One key area of the Pact on Migration and Asylum seeks to improve migration governance, to address irregular migration, to combat migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings and to reinforce border management.  

The smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings are not always easy to disentangle as they share common features and root causes. Yet, they are two distinct topics that each respond to different policies, regulations, but also stakeholders. In the case of smuggling, migrants willingly pay for the services of a smuggler to help them cross an international border, while people suffering from human trafficking are victims coerced into severe exploitation which may or may not be linked to the crossing of a border. The two phenomena are often linked, as migrants who start their journeys in a voluntary manner are also vulnerable to trafficking networks of labour or sexual exploitation.

In line with relevant protocols of the 2000 Palermo Convention against transnational crime, development Cooperation plays a key role in tackling trafficking and smuggling in all the regions of the world while promoting a comprehensive approach to Migration. The criminal nature of transnational networks involved in trafficking in human beings and in the smuggling of migrants, is detrimental to the development of partner countries. Those are priorities strongly reflected in EU’s external action funding instruments, including particularly the NDICI-Global Europe regulation¹. 

Our Approach   

• EU support successfully pioneered advanced multi-layered governance frameworks in the field of migration, including on addressing trafficking in human beings and the smuggling of migrants. In Nigeria for instance, as well as in Pakistan or Iraq, commendable efforts have been made to develop policies and legislation to establish migration management structures and counter human rights violations that affect mobility, such as trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants.  
• EU Initiatives responds to the new EU Strategy on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings (2021-2025). This comprehensive, victim-centric and human rights-based approach covers prevention of trafficking in human beings, protection and assistance to victims of trafficking, prosecution of trafficking offences and convictions of traffickers, and strengthening partnerships at the international level.  
• On fighting migrant smuggling, EU initiatives aim at establishing operational cooperation against migrant smuggling in partner countries or regions, based on a whole of route approach, to increase the ownership, impact and long-term sustainability of their efforts. The fact that migrant smuggling networks are closely linked to other forms of serious and organised crime including terrorism, trafficking in human beings and money laundering increases the urgency to cooperate on this issue. In November 2023, an international conference convened in Brussels by the President of the European Commission included a Call to Action on a Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling. 

To ensure that migration serves development, the EU can support partner countries in strengthening migration governance. This includes adequate reception capacities, a solid integrated border management system where international protection needs can be identified, in land as well as maritime borders, and modern, digitalised travel documents, based on reliable civil registries covering the entire population and databases available to the relevant authorities.

Our Approach: 

• Over the past years, the EU has been stepping up cooperation in the field of border management, enhancing the partner countries’ capacities in full respect of migrants’ fundamental rights. Key aspects are the prevention and detection of cross-border crime; the referral of persons who are in need of, or wish to apply for, international protection; or bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
• The Commission adopted the Communication establishing the multiannual strategic policy for European integrated border management (EIBM), for the period 2023-2027. It identifies strategic challenges that affect the EU’s external borders, and provides multiannual strategic policy goals to address these challenges.

Migrants in irregular situations in a transit or destination country are normally required to return to their country of origin - unless they are granted international protection, or their stay is otherwise regularised. Often migrants find themselves stranded in a transit or destination country, or deprived of the possibility of social inclusion or integration or facing other risks – in these cases, assisted voluntary return can be an option. Return is an indispensable component of a comprehensive migration policy. Improving cooperation on return and readmission is therefore an important element of renewed partnerships with partner countries.  

Our Approach: 

• Supporting the rescue, protection and assistance of stranded or irregular migrants, combined with their voluntary, safe and dignified return to their countries of origin is key. This support needs to pay attention to socioeconomic and psychosocial needs, focusing on sustainable reintegration at community, group or individual level. Many migrants who return can be particularly vulnerable.
• The EU development cooperation supports the authorities of countries of origin to take ownership of the return, readmission and sustainable reintegration of their own nationals.
• The aim of sustainable reintegration is to promote the returnees’ economic self-sufficiency, social stability within their communities, and psychosocial well-being that allow them to cope with (re)migration drivers. Reintegration involves training and/or support to create an income-generating activity, housing, health care and psychological support upon arrival to the country of return.

Legal migration , as orderly and safe mobility, can  benefit destination countries as a driver of development. It is also a source of prosperity, innovation and sustainable development for countries of origin and comes in a variety of forms: from labour migration or migration for study and research purposes, to family reunification. Migrants can contribute to fill labour market gaps, or help balancing the challenges created by ageing populations, and enrich countries from a cultural and economic point of view. However, labour migration needs to be managed in a way that avoids any negative impact on countries of origin (e.g. “brain drain”, “brain waste”).   

Our Approach:

• The EU supports well-managed legal migration, in respect of national competences, through comprehensive, balanced and tailor-made partnerships.. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum (2020) advocates for expanding legal pathways to Europe, opening the way for cooperation on schemes to match people, skills and labour market needs through legal migration.  The Talent Partnerships initiative, launched in 2021, aims at addressing EU skills shortages and improving mobility with key partner countries
• The EU will provide support to partner countries to develop and implement schemes that benefit them and also match the needs of destination countries. This support can also apply to intra-regional mobility. 

Migration in many ways contributes to development in countries of origin, transit, and destination. It can offer migrants income, living and/or studying conditions unavailable in the origin country. Migration also gives them assets, skills and knowledge they can subsequently transfer back to their origin communities. Diasporas can contribute to influence behaviors back in their country of origin, by promoting and sharing ways of life and values.  Diaspora’s engagement is a strategic tool to capitalize on the migration and development nexus, in a way that benefits both the country of origin and of destination, including by investing back in their country through remittances.

Remittances are an important issue for the EU as several studies underline the positive relationship between remittances and development. Remittances inflows may finance investment in human capital, smooth consumption and have multiplier effects through increased household expenditures. They can also increase investments by alleviating credit constraints in developing countries, and thereby positively affect economic growth.

The costs and the type of transmission channel of remittances is a strategic issue for the development of the beneficiary communities. Diasporas advocate for faster, safer and cheaper remittances. The Sustainable Development Goal 10, target c, establishes that by 2030, the transaction costs of migrant remittances should be reduced to less than 3 % and remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent should be eliminated. There has been a gradual decrease the cost of sending remittances from the EU since 2015 from 7.2% to 5.8% by the end of 2022. Forecasts suggest that, by the end of 2030, the average price from the EU will be 4.2%. If the EU were to meet the 3% target, there is a potential saving for remittances senders of €1.85 billion per year.

Our Approach:  

• Through the EU consensus on development , the EU committed to promoting cheaper, faster and more secure remittances and to enhancing the development impact of remittances in their destination. The new Pact on Migration and Asylum also recognizes that better exploiting the potential of remittances can also help economic development. 
• The European Commission is working to accelerate the digitalization of remittances and investment schemes via formal channels.  

• EU Pact for Migration and Asylum
• Communication on the multiannual strategic policy for European integrated border management (2023)
• EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator
• Communication: A renewed EU action plan against migrant smuggling (2021-2025)
• Communication: The EU strategy on voluntary return and reintegration
• Remittances and migration
• Financing Facility for Remittances
• International Day of Family Remittances
• European Union Global Diaspora Facility