The intention of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum is to offer a “fresh start” for a system that manages and “normalises” migration. In the introduction, migration is framed as a “feature of human history” that brings growth, innovation and social dynamism, a vision fully embraced and promoted by the Global Initiatives Programme at ICMPD.
On June 8th 2020, the Mobility Partnership Facility (MPF) hosted a knowledge exchange session “Pilot Projects on Legal Migration in an Era of Changing Mobility”, bringing together representatives of the European Commission with practitioners working on the first EU-funded pilot projects on legal migration (hereafter pilot projects).
“Young Generation as Change Agents” (YGCA) is an MPF-funded action seeking to establish a circular legal migration scheme between Morocco and Spain. The action offers young Moroccan graduates the opportunity to pursue a one-year master's degree in Spain, and supports participants to implement business and entrepreneurship projects upon their return to Morocco after graduation.
Prometheus is a project implemented by the French Ministry of Interior with the support of CIVIPOL that aims to strengthen the functioning of the visa-free regime between the EU and Georgia. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to highlight the personal experience of one of its beneficiaries, Mr. Luka Paatashivili
The K9 Division of the Georgian Border Police (B/P) recently benefited from a project of support from their Latvian counterparts and financed by the MPF with funds from the Internal Security Borders and Visa budget.
On 6 April 2020, Mr. Tautvydas Tamulevičius, Vice-minister of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, as the current Chair of the Prague Process Strategic Group, informed the 50 participating states about the joint decision to reschedule all face-to-face activities planned before summer due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
On November 13, 2019, the 1st Knowledge Exchange Session of the Pilot Projects on Legal Migration took place at the premises of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) in Brussels. Approximately 50 participants (including representatives from DG HOME and the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), the MPF pilot project coordinators, European Union (EU) Member States (MS), as well as IOM Belgium, GIZ and ILO, and actors interested in launching pilot projects, engaged in dynamic discussions to share past and current experiences and knowledge building for future opportunities.
Human trafficking continues to be a challenge in the EU today, requiring action at policy level and appropriate practical responses. The INSigHT Action aims to address this issue by linking three strategic geographic areas along major irregular migration routes between Africa and Europe.
Well-functioning and efficient borders form the foundation for regional mobility and development. Whether we consider the transit of cargo trains or containers full of goods, business people flying to meet their associates, tourism communities that cross national borders as part of their leisure patterns or even people fleeing persecution, the success or failure of these activities is dependent on well-governed borders. With the number of border crossings accelerating year by year, the need for national authorities to adopt a more progressive concept of comprehensive border governance becomes imperative.
