Vienna Migration Conference 2024 discussed safe pathways and labour mobility, irregular migration, international partnerships, and roll-out of EU Pact

In highlighting the key issues discussed, main takeaways included:

• Strategies and investments by states, along with the private sector, into labour migration and skills development are crucial in the context of demographic dynamics and labour shortages across various sectors. Agreements with non-EU-countries are an opportunity to improve the access to labour pathways for migrant workers while responding to employers’ needs and addressing broader issues related to cooperation on migration.
• The importance of a “route-based approach” that provides a comprehensive set of measures for people in need in countries of origin, first asylum, transit and destination, was underlined. There were calls to establish one-stop-shops that provide information and support services along migration routes; to invest upstream in countries of first asylum so that refugees and host communities can access essential rights and services and are not compelled to leave; and to carry out more efficient asylum and return processing in countries of destination. 
• The role of partnerships and cooperation in strengthening responses to migration was highlighted. There was a strong consensus on the need for burden and responsibility-sharing in addressing the economic, security, and foreign policy concerns.
• EU Member States’ commitment to the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum was reiterated, which speakers agreed will only succeed if done collectively.

Speakers also discussed the role of technology and innovation, and how digital tools can improve data collection, enhance border management, and facilitate integration for migrants in host countries while considering the associated risks. Additionally, in emphasising the importance of stemming irregular migration along key routes, panels also addressed the complexities of external processing and its legal, practical, and diplomatic implications.

Headlining the discussions at the Conference were Gerhard Karner, Austria’s Federal Minister of the Interior; Md Ruhul Amin, Bangladesh Secretary for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment; Nicole de Moor, Belgium State Secretary for Asylum and Migration; Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum; and Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Pakistan’s Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.

Also speaking were Catherine Woollard, Director of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles; Sirpa Rautio, Director of European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights; Nina Gregori, Executive Director of the European Union Asylum Agency; Jo Antoons, Partner at Fragomen; Ruven Menikdiwela, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at UNHCR; and Ashraf Abushady, Senior Advisor on Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence at UNIDO.

Valuable contributions to the discussion were also provided by Johannes Luchner from the EU Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Henrik Ankerstjerne, of Denmark’s Ministry for Immigration and Integration, Wael Badawi, of Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Migration, Refugees and Combating Human Trafficking, Maciej Duszczyk, from Poland’s Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Daniel Delgado from the US Department of Homeland Security; and Ivan Krastev of the Institute for Human Sciences, who delivered the opening keynote address.

The Conference was also supported by ORS Group, Raiffeisen Bank, City of Vienna, and Fragomen.

Visit the VCM2024 playlist to access the session recordings and event highlights, and discover the VMC2024 5 takeaways on migration governance in a shifting geopolitical landscape. In the upcoming months, ICMPD will share the conference report. For further insights from ICMPD’s work on migration policy, subscribe to our Policy newsflash email updates.

Explore VMC2024 takeaways

_{Photos by Nadine Studeny}