On 11 and 12 October 2022, ICMPD hosted the seventh edition of the Vienna Migration Conference, (VMC2022) Europe’s leading forum on migration. The conference gathered key European and global actors in Vienna’s historic Palais Niederösterreich to discuss the old and new forces shaping international migration – and how governments, international organisations and civil society should respond. These included the impact of ongoing conflicts and instability, instrumentalisation of migration, climate change and post-COVID-19 pandemic labour shortages on the movement of people.
The Vienna Migration Conference 2022 brought together 250 high-level speakers, key decision-makers and thought-leaders to discuss the current developments shaping migration. The conference was live-streamed to a global audience, with approximately 1,250 people registered to follow the conversations online. This year’s VMC kicked off with a closed-door dinner featuring European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas and Politico Europe’s Chief Brussels Correspondent Suzanne Lynch in a conversation on recent developments and how they are shaping EU migration policy. Amid multiple and overlapping challenges, reflecting a turbulent year, VMC2022 participants charted their visions and strategies for the future, also outlining possibilities for practical cooperation to move the needle forward.
Discussions took place at a particularly difficult time in terms of geopolitics, a stuttering global economy, rising costs of living and accelerating climate change. As ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger observed, “Our world faces a number of crises that interact with increasing velocity and severe impact, a situation that is often described as a state of ‘global polycrisis’.” At the same time, he stressed the progress made since last year’s VMC, including the unified response of the European Union to challenges such as the instrumentalisation of migration via Belarus and the swift response of Member States to displacement from Ukraine.
The VMC2022 programme took as its starting point Russia’s military aggression and its impact on displacement. Speakers explored the current situation in major receiving countries as well as broader impacts on other sectors and regions of the world. Panellists also discussed current dynamics in and priorities of key countries in the European neighbourhood and along major routes. Recognising the diversity of factors influencing migration, including geopolitics and the environment, other sessions shone a spotlight on climate change and instrumentalisation. After a tour through the various challenges and opportunities, the conference wrapped up with an assessment of the prospects for reforming European migration and asylum policy, with a focus on the European Commission’s proposed New Pact on Migration and Asylum.
VMC2022 debates noted that sustainable and effective policies for migration management cannot be limited to reacting when crises arise. Given the complex challenges that the world faces, participants emphasised the importance of international and particularly regional cooperation as part of a comprehensive approach to migration issues. Michael Spindelegger concluded that “No country can develop and implement an effective migration policy alone. Difficult situations will develop faster than in the past, and they will come from directions that we cannot always predict and be ready for.”
The conference also featured a side event on addressing trafficking in persons in the context of lasting crises. Held under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT), this event discussed vulnerabilities fueling trafficking in persons for those who have fled conflict areas, debating current practices and strategies, as well as the medium- to long-term challenges.
More information on the event, including the recording, will soon be available on the VMC website. For further insights, subscribe to the ICMPD newsletter and Policy Newsflash.