Large numbers of refugees and migrants seek entry into the EU. How to distribute asylum applicants among EU member states, and how to efficiently integrate those that are allowed to stay? What are the consequences for society, Europe’s cohesion and its capacity to act?
Find the latest MEDAM research and policy advice as well as news on and from our project.
Melanie Radike
melanie.radike@medam-migration.eu
+49 431 8814-329
Europeans assess the impact of immigration on their country in a more positive light than they did in 2002. Despite the increased polarization of citizens’ attitudes towards immigration, these findings indicate that policy makers have room to develop balanced solutions for asylum and immigration policy.
New CEPS working paper by MEDAM researchers Mikkel Barslund, Mattia Di Salvo, and Nadzeya Laurentsyeva looks at the composition of recent refugee inflows and reviews the relevant characteristics of EU labor markets to assess the impact the recently arrived refugees will have on the labor markets of receiving EU countries.
Read the article working paper here (external link).
The political debate on asylum and immigration might be difficult within Europe, but dialogue remains possible and important even in countries with populist positions, says MEDAM researcher Tobias Stöhr.
Read the interview here (external link; in German).
Berlin, Florence, Brussels, Vienna, Budapest, and Warsaw: In recent weeks, MEDAM researchers have travelled extensively to discuss the conclusions of the 2018 MEDAM Assessment Report—as dialogue with all EU member states remains crucial to reimagine the EU asylum system and overcome the current deadlock.
In our 2018 MEDAM Assessment Report, researchers from the Mercator Dialogue on Asylum and Migration (MEDAM) set out a comprehensive strategy for EU asylum and immigration policies that is both politically feasible and effective.
In the 2018 MEDAM Assessment Report, we set out a comprehensive strategy for EU asylum and immigration policies that is both politically feasible and effective.
Read the full report here.
Irregular migration can only be reduced if potential migrants have better options. More international cooperation in vocational training and further education as well as legal pathways into the EU labor market would help, says MEDAM’s Matthias Lücke on International Migrants Day.
Read the press release here…
Irregular migration can only be reduced if potential migrants have better options. More international cooperation in vocational training and further education as well as legal pathways into the EU labor market would help.
It is not borders that stop African migrants seeking entry into the EU, but having a perspective in countries of origin.
Read the article here (external link; in German).
In mid-October, the second multi-stakeholder hearing of the preparatory process of the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration took place in Geneva. MEDAM researcher Matthias Lücke contributed through written submissions addressing labor migration in particular. Destination countries should allow more skilled immigration, and help people in countries of origin to acquire the certified skills needed – to the benefit of both countries of origin and destination. Read more…
On October 5-6, MEDAM researchers Mauro Lanati and Tobias Stöhr took part in the “WIDER Development Conference on migration and mobility” in Accra, Ghana. Both Researchers presented findings from their current work.
There is an alternative to Italian-Libyan cooperation, but it does involve more actors and is much harder to implement. It also tackles the root cause of the problem with the Central Mediterranean route: that the vast majority of arrivals to Italy are not eligible for protection.
Read the commentary here (external link).
On June 20th, Mikkel Barslund and Lars Ludolph engaged in a closed-door meeting with the Belgian Secretary of State for Migration and Asylum, Theo Francken. Following a presentation of the 2017 MEDAM assessment report main findings, topics discussed ranged widely – from the Dublin system to irregular crossings along the Mediterranean route.
Read the article here (external link).
The marked increase in irregular crossings from Libya to Italy caused the Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, to issue a plea for help – as well as a threat to close of vessels disembarking migrants from search and rescue operations. MEDAM researchers Mikkel Barslund and Lars Ludolph discuss the way forward.
Read the commentary here.
On July 7, the G20 Hamburg Summit starts, with the refugee crisis being high on the agenda. Co-chaired by MEDAM researcher Matthias Lücke, the T20 network of international think tanks’ Task Force on Forced Migration‘ came up with specific solution proposals for the G20 leaders.
Read the recommendations here.
Border walls are gaining popularity in Europe and the U.S. Refugees Deeply published an excerpt from our 2107 assessment report, which explains how walls don’t stop immigration but shift migration patterns and harm integration.
Read the article here (external website).
How can the responsibility for refugees be distributed more fairly – globally and within the EU? And how can we curb irregular migration while expanding legal immigration to the benefit of all concerned? These and other questions are addressed in the first annual MEDAM assessment report, which was launched at the ‘Think20 Summit- GLOBAL SOLUTIONS’ on May 30, 2017 in Berlin.
Read the full report here.
Launched at the ‘Think20 Summit – GLOBAL SOLUTIONS’ on May 30, 2017 in Berlin, the 2017 MEDAM Assessment Report calls for more flexible solidarity in the European asylum and migration policy.
A MEDAM session addressed the difficulties regarding the labor market integration of refugees at the CEPS Ideas Lab 2017, which took place 23-24 February. Herbert Brücker, Jelena Drenjanin, Yunus Mohammdi as well as moderator Mehtap Akgüç discussed challenges, opportunities and best cases.
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) published a summary of MEDAM’s study on the integration of Bosnian refugees in Europe following the Balkan wars in the 1990s. With the right integration policies and labor market conditions, it is possible to achieve a high level of integration among refugees within a short period of time.
Read the article here (external website).
From 13 to 15 February 2017, MPC hosted the project’s first MEDAM authors meeting. Dedicated to shaping MEDAM’s flagship output, the annual MEDAM Assessment Report, 15 MEDAM researchers came together to exchange current research and discuss its policy implications.
Before the EU Summit in Malta, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with MEDAM researcher Esther Ademmer about Europe’s immigration agenda and the possibility of a framework agreement between the EU and Libya.
Watch the (German-language) video here.
To mark the start of the German G20 Presidency, some 200 representatives of the Think20 Engagements Group met in Berlin on December 1 and 2, 2016. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the German Development Institute (DIE) are leading the group of think tanks from the G20 countries.
David Benček’s and Julia Strasheim’s working paper “Refugees Welcome? Introducing a New Dataset on Anti-Refugee Violence in Germany, 2014-2015” was cited in a Washington Post article on Europe’s urban-rural divide and its consequences.
Read the article here (external website).
MEDAM Researchers will participate in the Think20 Task Force on Forced Migration. The Think20 (T20) is a group of think tanks from the G20 countries, which have been entrusted by the German Federal Government with developing recommendations for the G20 during Germany’s G20 Presidency in 2017.
