Europe needs more workers. But as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia dominate the global labour market¹, the European Union is caught in a ‘bruising worldwide battle’ to attract and keep workers in the region². Even as some Member States remain in strong positions, the EU collectively falls behind in recruiting and retaining international talent.

On 25 and 26 June 2024, ICMPD’s Director General, Michael Spindelegger, participated in the Salzburg Forum Ministerial Conference 2024 in Laxenburg, Austria. The Salzburg Forum is a Central European security partnership focused on fostering dialogue on internal security among relevant stakeholders. In this edition, organised by the Austrian Chairmanship of the Salzburg Forum, the topic of migration and the fight against human trafficking was one of the focus areas of the conference.

On 25 June, the EU4IBM-Resilience project, funded by the EU and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), delivered a modern cargo X-ray scanner to the “Chop (Tysa)” border crossing point. Valued at approximately EUR 2.5 million EUR, this donation is part of the "EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes" initiative launched to ensure the efficient flow of trade across Ukraine's borders after the Russian full-scale invasion.

The 19 June 2024 marks five years of the EU Global Diaspora Facility (EUDiF), based at ICMPD’s Brussels office. Simultaneously, EUDiF celebrates the end of its first phase and starts a second to continue its work to support an informed, inclusive and impactful diaspora-development ecosystem. 

On 4 and 5 June, ICMPD Member States met in Athens for the 82nd ICMPD Steering Group, under the auspices of the Minister of Migration and Asylum of Greece, Dimitris Kairidis.

From 3-7 June 2024, ICMPD and the African Union Commission (AUC) organised a Simulation Training in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe with participants from the media and from CSOs to test the training on “Migration in Africa – Myths and Reality”.