Search ICMPD Publications

The Common European Asylum System prohibits the mobility of persons entitled to international protection within the European Union, making it more difficult for displaced persons to rebuild their lives even after arriving in Europe and receiving protection status. Recent developments soften this strict policy of immobility for some. In this context, intra-EU mobility based on refugees’ skills could become a game-changer. The tools are there. What is needed now is to connect these initiatives so that more displaced persons can use their skills for their benefit and that of receiving countries. This practice note discusses the different pieces of the puzzle for supporting displaced persons in making use of their skills for their benefit and that of receiving EU countries.

La ville de Sousse attire principalement trois catégories de migrants, à savoir, les migrants tunisiens en provenance des régions de l’intérieur, les migrants Tunisiens qui rentrent de l’étranger et, les migrants étrangers en provenance principalement d’Afrique subsaharienne, d’autres pays du Maghreb ou d’Europe. En 10 ans (1999-2004 et 2009-2014) la ville de Sousse a accueilli 73 351 migrants internes, ce qui représente 61,5% de l’ensemble des 119 952 migrants internes qui étaient entrés dans le gouvernorat de Sousse durant la même période.

Parler de personnes qui traversent des frontières physiques et idéologiques dans le détroit de Gibraltar revient à décrire le paysage complexe des mobilités typiques des régions transfrontalières. Nous reprenons dans le document « Termes fondamentaux sur la migration » (OIM, 2020) les différentes définitions légales qui construisent les personnes en déplacement dans la zone du détroit. Les personnes en déplacement sont soumises à un régime de migration ainsi qu’à un régime frontalier ayant des dimensions différentes (juridique, exécutive, technologique et idéologique)39 et qui créent une série de classifications qui déterminent l'accès aux droits fondamentaux sur les deux côtes.

Migration information campaigns have become a popular policy mechanism amongst donors and implementers to deter irregular migration. With the increasing number of information campaigns introduced in countries of origin, attention is also being focused towards the design of these campaigns, including considerations on engaging people that can act as “credible messengers” or “key influencers” to convey the content of the campaign. It is in this line that campaign funders and designers are exploring the potential of involving diaspora members as messengers in information campaigns. Backed by a dedicated research study on diaspora engagement in information campaigns under the PARIM project, this policy brief questions the assumptions behind engaging diaspora members as “credible messengers”. One major assumption is that since potential migrants rely on friends and family abroad for their migration process, following the same principle, they would be more receptive to information received through diaspora members in campaigns. However, this policy brief argues that diaspora members engaged in campaigns are imperfect proxies for potential migrants’ friends and family abroad. With this caveat, it presents certain considerations to take into account when designing a migration information campaign that involves diaspora members as messengers.

This study examines expert knowledge and survey data on youth aspirations in Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia to see how the EU's Talent Partnerships might be used to increase youth employment and mobility within and from these countries.

External authors

Algeria: Yasmine Musette

Libya: Mustapha Kaaniche

Morocco: Hajar El Moukhi

Tunisia: Wajih Khallouli

Displacement is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges facing the world today. At the end of 2020, more than 82 million people across the globe were categorised as forcibly displaced, whether remaining within their countries of origin or having crossed an international border. If this group were a country, it would rank 20th in the world in terms of population, right after Germany. An increasing number of refugees – 16 million in 2020, or 4 million more than in 2016 – find themselves in a long-term situation of vulnerability, dependency, and legal insecurity, lacking, or actively denied, opportunities to rebuild their lives. Such situations are termed ‘protracted displacement’. While not captured in these statistics, internally displaced persons (IDPs) may also find themselves in situations of protracted displacement. While the protracted nature of many conflicts is a critical contributing factor, there is considerable room for improvement in policies and practices to more effectively address protracted displacement.

This is where the EU-funded Transnational Figurations of Displacement (TRAFIG) research project has aimed to contribute. Undertaking more than 2,700 interviews with displaced persons, policymakers, and practitioners in 11 countries across the Middle East, East Africa, and Europe, the TRAFIG project investigated the reasons why people end up in protracted displacement situations and what coping strategies they use, thus identifying possible courses of action for policymakers.

This handbook shares 10 takeaways for strengthening policy responses to protracted displacement that have emerged from this endeavour, with empirical examples and policy recommendations, as well as a non-exhaustive list of promising practices for inspiration. These 10 points centre on the TRAFIG project goal of identifying solutions that are better tailored to the needs and capacities of displaced persons.

Pôle économique et universitaire, le gouvernorat de Sfax attire plus qu’il ne produit de migrants. Le gouvernorat et la ville de Sfax font face à cinq types de flux migratoires, à savoir la migration interne, la migration en provenance de Libye, les étudiants étrangers, la migration irrégulière et les demandeurs d’asile. La situation migratoire s’est transformée depuis 2011 : la chute du régime de Kadafi en Libye a signifié une arrivée massive en Tunisie de libyens mais aussi de migrants subsahariens résidents en Libye. Aujourd’hui, la Tunisie confirme son statut de pays de transit de la migration.

Ran jointly under the EUROMED Migration V (EMM5) and “EuroMeSco: Connecting the Dots” projects, the survey “Towards sustainable and mutually beneficial migration partnerships in the South Mediterranean” aims at reflecting on migration partnerships between the EU and Southern Mediterranean countries. This report analyses the main results from this exercise, which was conducted amongst experts on migration from the EU’s South Partner Countries (SPCs) in June and July 2021. It provides new evidence on each country’s understanding on how migration partnerships should be achieved in view to advance cooperation for the benefit of migrants and all communities involved in the process.

Authors: Jenny Gilbert und Alexis Mclean

The sixth edition of the Vienna Migration Conference (VMC) took place on 19-20 October 2021. It provided an indispensable opportunity for thought leaders, decision-makers and practitioners in the migration sphere to convene, connect and engage in strategic discussions on migration.

Magda Abu-Fadil

Among the OECD, Germany has become one of the main migrant-receiving nations. According to statistical data, 20.8 million of Germany’s population of 82 million are statistically recognised as migrants. Statistically the migrant population is divided almost equally between foreigners (Ausländer, 9.9 million), who do not hold German citizenship and those with a so-called migration background (Migrationshintergrund, 10.9 million) (Statistisches Bundesamt 2019). Among the group of foreigners, about half are citizens of another EU country (EU-28). Still, the Turkish constitute the largest nationality among the group of foreigners (1.5 million) (Statistisches Bundesamt 2019). Migration to Germany has a relatively long history. Migrants in Germany are thus a diverse group, reflecting different phases of migration since the post-war period. This publication provides an overview of the main phases and groups.