Is What We Hear About Migration Really True? Questioning Eight Migration Stereotypes

Immigration has polarised European politics for decades. There have been defenders and opponents of migration into Europe, and it has often been the matter of acrimonious debate. In recent years, however, the dispute between the two groups often seems to have largely vanished. If the opinion that migration is a threat rather than an asset prevails, there is a risk that European States will forego the benefits of immigration. In doing so, it will undermine Europe’s recovery from the crisis and, ultimately, its position of importance in the world. However, if the consensus shifts and European societies come to see migration as a dynamic and positive force, then migration and migrants can and will help these societies better prepare for future challenges. In this volume, which is accompanied by a booklet summarising its contents, MPC’s experts re-think eight migration stereotypes in the light of MPC’s research and broader academic scholarship.
The volume and the booklet were presented to the press in Brussels in the presence of the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ms Cecilia Malmström on 11 July 2014.

Press release of the European Commission

A European Commissioner for Migration?

Reflecting on... by Philippe Fargues

On 30 June, 45 corpses were found asphyxiated in the hold of a fishing boat that was smuggling 600 migrants and asylum seekers to the shore of Sicily. The Mediterranean has become the most dangerous route to Europe and the Achilles’ heel of its migration system. [ read more ]

Non, l'Europe ne doit pas se fermer à l'immigration ! Sa prospérité en dépend (Le Monde, 14-07-2014)

Le directeur du Centre d'études des politiques migratoires réagit à la proposition de Jean-Claude Juncker de nommer un commissaire européen à l'immigration. [ read more ]

SYRIANREFUGEES.EU

The war engulfing Syria today has now entered its fourth year. It has caused untold destruction within the country and sent more than 2.8 million refugees abroad in search of shelter. This flow shows no sign of abating and has important consequences for both Syria’s neighbouring countries and the European Union. MPC Director Philippe Fargues sat down with us on 27 June to discuss the continuing flow of refugees out of Syria, and the dynamics that cause some of these refugees to try and make it to Europe. He also discusses how the rise of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) might affect the Syrian refugee crisis today.

Final Workshop of the MISMES Project (Migrant Support Measures from an Employment and Skills Perspective), 29-30 September 2014

The aim of the final technical workshop of the MISMES project, which is jointly implemented by the European Training Foundation (ETF) and the Migration Policy Centre of the European University Institute (EUI), is to present and discuss the findings of the MISMES Global Inventory and the five MISMES case studies – Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Morocco and Tunisia. The workshop will serve to improve the quality of the draft studies and validate the results through a focused and technical discussion between the EUI and ETF teams, national experts and key policy-makers from the five countries.
Please note that this is an internal event.

Contact: mpc@eui.eu