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Eurasylum’s Press Releases

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. This special edition of MPP, guest edited by Nassim Majidi, focuses on the migration situation in Afghanistan post-Taliban takeover. It includes contributions from both policymakers and academics and explores the national, regional and global ramifications of ongoing developments, particularly as regards issues of protection, Afghan women, education, legal identity, remittances, resettlement and return migration. This is the last edition of MPP co-edited by Solon Ardittis and Frank Laczko, the founders of the journal.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on Covid-19’s socioeconomic impact on migrants and displaced persons in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It provides an overview of the diverse effects of Covid-19 on a wide range of populations (i.e. labour migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons) across several countries (Yemen, Libya, Lebanon, etc.) and touches upon various topics (e.g. remittances, access to employment and social protection, mobility). As such, this special issue helps us grasp how and to what extent mobile populations across the region have been (and continue to be) affected by the long-term and adverse effects of the pandemic.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on children’s experiences on the Central America-Mexico-United States migration corridor. Articles in this special edition, written by experts from academia, international organisations and civil society, encourage readers to recognize, first and foremost, migrant children as critical and not peripheral actors on the migration stage; as capable of identifying the issues that drive them to migrate and of articulating solutions; and as ignored and miscatalogued in data collection processes, yet deserving of being accounted for when alive, and also when missing or dead.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today.After reflecting on some of the key developments in global migration in 2020, this special edition of MPP examines the anticipated migration trends in Africa, Asia, Central America, China, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States. While there may be notable variations among regions based on a range of objective factors, COVID-19 inevitably appears set to remain a key driver of migration dynamics in the months to come.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It provides an overview of existing models, studies and tools to forecast global migration. This special issue is based on the outcomes of the 2020 Austrian European Migration Network (EMN) Conference, organised in partnership with the Austrian Ministry of the Interior and IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC).

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It includes four articles on very different themes of interest to policymakers, including on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting irregular migration and the collection of data on migrant deaths; on the need to obtain data on key SDG indicators that is disaggregated by migratory status; on the importance of considering migration policies and practices at the local level; and on the challenges in promoting the integration of migrants.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. Based on 11 contributions by senior officials and experts from international organizations, NGOs and academia, this special 10th anniversary issue of Migration Policy Practice discusses the emerging effects of COVID-19 for migrants and migration policy worldwide from a range of perspectives including the humanitarian, economic and data-related implications of the new pandemic.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on the linkages between migration, the environment and climate change. Today it is widely agreed that there is a lack of data on this subject. Estimates suggesting that between 200 million and 1 billion people could be displaced by climate change during the next 30 years are often based on little more than guesswork. This special issue addresses, in particular, two broad sets of questions: (a) What kinds of data are needed on migration, the environment and climate change? (b) How can the collection and analysis of data on migration, the environment and climate change be improved?

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on four relatively diverse migration policy areas: (a) the possible establishment of a European Union framework for the provision of humanitarian visas; (b) the need for participatory resettlement policies involving municipalities and international organizations; (c) key findings of an independent end-term review of the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Innovation Fund (MSIF); and (d) new approaches to evaluating online migration campaigns.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on three key and diverse migration topics: 1) measuring the extent of migration in the Global South and assessing how the scale of migration can vary considerably depending on how “developed” and “developing countries” are defined ; 2) policy options for addressing immigrant student achievement gaps; and 3) assessing how five European countries which received large numbers of asylum applications from Syrians tried to establish the identities of these persons to ensure that they were not security risks.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It is a special edition that focuses on the return and reintegration of migrants who are unable or unwilling to remain in host or transit countries. Within this context, this special issue seeks to present challenges, opportunities, existing practices and policy implications in the field of return and reintegration, exploring relevant provisions in the Global Compact for Migration, assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR), specific safeguards for the return and reintegration of children and their families, the role of local governments in the implementation of sustainable reintegration policies, and how to define and measure sustainable reintegration to inform evidence-based programming and policies.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today.On the eve of the Intergovernmental Conference that will formally adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, scheduled to take place in Marrakech on 10–11 December, this special issue of MPP examines a specific aspect of the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration: that of migration research and analysis. While acknowledging that migration research output has significantly increased in volume and diversity globally, this issue discusses how migration research can contribute to the implementation of the Global Compact.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It explores how migration intersects with a number of key development areas, and how these relationships affect the delivery of the SDGs. It draws from a series of 12 policy briefings by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) that analyse the interrelationships between migration and key development areas, namely, poverty, decent work, urbanization, gender, education, health, social protection, water and sanitation, energy, citizenship, technology and climate change. The five articles included in the special issues look into a specific area in which migration intersects with development, setting out the case for including migration in SDG planning in persuasive terms.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on current challenges in designing and implementing large-scale resettlement programmes, including the financial and administrative implications of such programmes; the lessons learned from the Government of Canada’s Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI) that was officially launched in December 2016; and the benefits and challenges of using new technologies to facilitate refugee resettlement. The journal also includes an article on policies and initiatives relating to migrants’ health.

Xchange, MOAS and Eurasylum have just launched the first phase of an innovative socioeconomic regeneration project in Cox’s Bazar involving both Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees. The objective of this initiative, which is supported by the local authorities, is to stimulate and regenerate the socio-economic fabric in Shamlapur, a small town in the Cox’s Bazar district, by identifying and supporting new economic activities involving both Bangladeshi nationals and selected Rohingya refugees. This will be achieved through the provision of advice, assistance and training for enhancing the existing local production, trade and market access environments. Read more in English or in Bengali.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. This is a special edition that focuses on IOM’s World Migration Report 2018, which is the ninth in the series. Since 2000, IOM has been producing yearly world migration reports to contribute to increased understanding of migration throughout the world. This special issue of MPP includes abridged versions of selected chapters that highlight key information and analysis on the increasingly complex dynamics of international migration and on key data on global and regional migration trends.

In November 2016, under the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) launched the Emergency Social Safety Net Programme (ESSN), which provides monthly cash assistance to vulnerable people under Temporary and International Protection through the delivery of a debit card. The ESSN is today one of the largest and most innovative schemes in this area, benefitting over one million people. As the programme celebrates its first anniversary, Solon Ardittis of Eurasylum discusses, in ‘Humanitarian Law & Policy’ (Geneva:ICRC), some of the key policy lessons that be drawn from the implementation of the ESSN to date.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. Ahead of the UN Global Compact for Migration in 2018, IOM has convened a Migration Research Leaders’ Syndicate, which comprises senior migration researchers from around the world. This special issue of MPP presents a selection of Syndicate papers that focus on some of the more pressing issues that have emerged during the Compact process thus far. They provide an opportunity to draw on the latest thinking underpinned by research and analysis to support international cooperation and effective responses in the on-going UN Global Compact discussions.

Recent media contributions by Eurasylum on the EU migrant/refugee crisis have included the following: Op-ed in ‘openDemocracy’ (26/09/2017); Op-ed in ‘EU Observer’ (08/09/2017); Op-ed in ‘Euractiv’ (08/06/2017); Op-ed in ‘New Europe’ (28/05/2017); Op-ed in ‘ E!Sharp’ (10/05/2017); Op-ed in ‘Kathimerini’ (22/03/2017); Op-ed in ‘The EU Observer’ (05/01/2017); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘Dnevnik’ (in Slovenian) (28/12/2016); Op-ed in ‘openDemocracy’ (16/12/2016); Op-ed in ‘Kathimerini’ (10/12/2016); Op-ed in ‘Ethics & International Affairs’ (14/11/2016); Op-ed in ‘The EU Observer’ (26/10/2016); Op-ed in ‘Euractiv’ (25/10/2016); Op-ed in ‘World Policy’ (24/10/2016); Op-ed in ‘The Huffington Post (France)’ (07/10/2016); Op-ed in ‘ESharp’ (04/10/2016); Op-ed in ‘Europp’ (21/09/2016); Op-ed in ‘Global Policy’ (14/09/2016); Op-ed in ‘Euractiv’ (09/09/2016); Op-ed in ‘Refugees Deeply’ (02/09/2016); Op-ed in ‘ESharp’ (21/07/2016); Op-ed in ‘New Europe’ (30/06/2016); Op-ed in ‘Global Policy’ (23/06/2016); Op-ed in ‘Europe’s World’ (08/06/2016); Op-ed in ‘Global Policy’ (26/05/2016); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘Dagens Nyheter’ (23/05/2016) (in Swedish); Op-ed in ‘Refugees Deeply’ (19/05/2016); Op-ed in ‘New Europe’ (18/05/2016); Op-ed in ‘Euractiv’ (13/05/2016); Op-ed in ‘Refugees Deeply’ (10/05/2016); Op-ed in ‘Global Policy’ (29/04/2016); Op-ed in ‘Vocal Europe’ (22/04/2016); Op-ed in ‘New Europe’ (20/04/2016); Op-ed in ‘The EU Reporter’ (13/04/2016); Op-ed in ‘Vocal Europe’ (22/03/2016); Op-ed in ‘Euractiv’ (11/03/2016); Op-ed in ‘New Europe’ (03/03/2016); Op-ed in ‘The EU Reporter’ (05/02/2016); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’ (31/01/2016) (in Italian); Op-ed in ‘Vocal Europe’ (29/01/2016); Op-ed in ‘EurActiv’ (25/01/2016); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘I Epohi’ (24/01/2016) (in Greek); Op-ed in ‘EurActiv’ (22/10/2015); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’ (15/10/2015) (in Italian); Op-ed in ‘La Tribune’ (23/09/2015) (in French); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’ (19/09/2015) (in Italian); Op-ed in ‘EurActiv’ (17/09/2015); Article in ‘Business24’ (15/09/2015) (in Romanian); Op-ed in the ‘EU Observer’ (15/09/2015); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘Q Code Magazine’ (11/09/2015) (in Italian); Interview of Solon Ardittis in ‘New Business Ethiopia’ (30/04/2015).

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on irregular migration, and in particular on new ways to collect and analyze data in this major policy area. The articles in this issue tackle a range of different topics and approaches, including on the challenge of gathering data on migrant fatalities; on new qualitative approaches to gathering data on irregular migration by the Mixed Migration Monitoring Mechanism Initiative (4Mi); on new data methods developed by IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) programme; on the use of qualitative methods to explore the issue of migrant smuggling; on data collection processes in relation to human trafficking and exploitation on the Mediterranean routes; and on key sources of data on irregular migration in Europe used by the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography.

Eurasylum, jointly with Ecorys, ICMPD and MPI-Europe, have been awarded a four-year framework contract on “Consultancy and technical support services in the area of irregular migration” (Lot 1) by DG Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission. The aim of this six million euros contract is to assist the European Commission on matters related to irregular migration within the framework of the European Agenda on Migration. This complements an earlier three million euros contract on “Legal migration and integration” which the European Commision awarded to this consortium a couple of weeks ago.

Eurasylum has been contracted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to write a series of articles on “children on the move”, the “registration and identity management of irregular migrants”, and “migration from Africa”. This forms part of a project on “Strengthening data collection and analysis in response to human mobility in the context of the Mediterranean migration crisis”, financed by DFID. Eurasylum’s articles will feed into the Data4Migration Policy Portal that is being established by IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre.

Eurasylum, jointly with Ecorys, ICMPD, MPI and MPG, have been awarded a four-year framework contract on “Consultancy and technical support services in the area of legal migration and integration” (Lot 2) by DG Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission. The aim of this three million euros contract is to assist the European Commission on matters related to legal migration and integration within the framework of the European Agenda on Migration.

Solon Ardittis of Eurasylum has been appointed as a member and rapporteur in the selection panel established by DG Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission that will evaluate all the new project proposals under the ‘Integration’ strand of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The assignment will consist of a series of successive assessment tasks that will run over June and July 2017.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on ways to improve data on international migration. The inclusion of migration in the new global development framework will pose several new challenges for national statistical systems around the world which are already struggling to collect and analyse data on migration. The SDGs will require making better use of existing data sources, as well as developing new methods to collect data on migration. An additional problem is that many of the concepts linked to migration have not been well defined for measurement purposes – for example, targets relating to safe, orderly and regular migration. Articles in this issue make a number of proposals to address these and other migration data-related challenges.

The fifth anniversary issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on the overall theme of ‘safe migration’. Based on the situation in Europe and the neighbouring countries, it explores how data on both ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ migration could be collected in a more systematic fashion. The theme of this special issue is in response to the growing challenges faced by the international statistical community in finding ways to define and measure “safe” and “unsafe” migration, including within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that was adopted in 2015. The articles in this special issue of the journal provide examples of innovative work that is being carried out by IOM, UNICEF and the Regional Mixed Migration Secretariat (RMMS) to gather data on the risks that migrants face during their journeys and on arrival at their destinations.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. This is a special issue that explores recent and ongoing trends on Afghan displacement. It informs, in particular, some of the key underlying Afghan displacement factors, current displacement data holdings, movements to Central Asia, Afghan integration in neighbouring Iran, decision making in transit, return and reintegration to Afghanistan and identity and belonging of Afghan settlers. This special issue includes articles by experts from the University of Oxford, the University of New South Wales, the Calcutta Research Group and the Observer Research Foundation, the University of Tehran, Maastricht University, IOM, Samuel Hall and Monash University.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses primarily on issues of labour market integration of migrants in Europe. In particular, this special issue summarises a selection of presentations from the recent “Integration through Qualification (IQ)” symposium on labour market integration of immigrants in Germany and Europe that was held in Berlin on 6 April 2016. In addition, this issue of Migration Policy Practice includes an article on international migration seen through the lens of Amartya Sen’s capability approach, as well as the latest findings on migrant deaths on the Central Mediterranean route produced by the IOM Global Migration Data Analysis Centre.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on a range of themes including migration and IT connectivity; Sweden’s labour immigration system; new migration and development strategies; and migration trends in the Arab region. The lead article examines how global telecommunications transformations are affecting the international migration and asylum system by enhancing both the states’ abilities to monitor their borders and detect and prevent immigration fraud associated with entry, and the researchers‘ potential to analyse migration trends in remote locations, with greater accuracy and in shorter time frames.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on expected migration trends in the Global South, namely Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Gulf and Latin America. Much media and policy attention is currently focused on the rise in migration flows to Europe. But how is migration changing in the rest of the world? What are the expected key migration challenges for policymakers in developing countries in 2016? We asked some of the world´s leading experts on migration to try to look ahead and assess how migration and migration policy are likely to change in their regions in 2016.

Migfunder, the first and only crowdfunding platform dedicated solely to migration, refugee and human rights initiatives worldwide, has just been launched. Migfunder, which was founded by three Eurasylum Directors, supports campaigns by migrant organisations, public agencies (including international organisations), NGOs, researchers and individuals looking to launch a development or humanitarian initiative in the field of migration and refugee affairs worldwide, or a research project focusing on migration, asylum or human rights policy. It also promotes campaigns from migrants looking to create (or grow) their businesses abroad or in their countries of origin. This is a pioneering initiative that will contribute potentially to reducing the effects of budget cuts and under-funding in major refugee, migration and human rights programmes around the world. Current campaigns on Migfunder originate from organisations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Doctors of the World, the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS), Business in the Community Ireland, Quist Solicitors, the Somali Human Rights Association (SOHRA) and the Refugee Pastoral Care Commission in Durban. Most are concerned with the current EU migrant crisis. Please do not hesitate to contact Migfunder should you require any further information, or would like to hold an interview with one of Migfunder’s staff.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on the current migrant crisis in Europe and includes articles by representatives from the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration – SVR), the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Brunei Darussalam, Eurasylum and IOM. Key themes explored in this issue include new methods for measuring the levels of integration of immigrants in Europe; the situation of Syrian separated children fleeing war; the EU Temporary Protection Directive; and IOM‘s approach to addressing the complex migration flows in the Mediterranean.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on the migration challenges facing the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and includes articles by representatives from the League of Arab States, NGOs and academia. In particular, this issue discusses the recently established Arab Regional Consultative Process on Migration (ARCP) which is in the process of launching an Arab Information System on Migration; reforms to the migration and asylum policy in Morroco; the concept of “root causes of migration”; and human trafficking in the MENA region. This issue also presents an innovative new project – the Mixed Migration Hub (Mhub), which was developed within the framework of the North Africa Mixed Migration Task Force and which collects, analyses and disseminates relevant data across the MENA region.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It contains a selection of some of the most noteworthy papers discussed at the 13th meeting of the Transatlantic Council on Migration in December 2014, which focused on the current global protection system. The articles consider how governments and stakeholders can cooperate to address existing crises, distribute responsibilities more fairly, create more flexible systems that respond to changing realities, and prevent new displacement from becoming protracted. This issue of MPP also includes articles on the current dynamics of migration flows across the Mediterranean, as well as on irregular migration from Somaliland and on issues related to the estimation of aggregate volumes of remittances, bilateral remittances, and remittance transfer costs.

Eurasylum has been invited by NATO to contribute to its next ‘Strategic Foresight Analysis Report’. In line with the terms of the invitation, Eurasylum will outline the key ‘foresight points’ on significant changes and challenges expected in the fields of border management, immigration, asylum/refugee policy, and trafficking in human beings, in the coming 15 years. The report is due to be released towards the end of 2015. To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

Eurasylum has been appointed by the European Commission to monitor the implementation of the External Borders Fund (EBF) in Sweden. The purpose of this assignment, which is part of a framework contract which Eurasylum and Ramboll hold with the European Commission to monitor the implementation of all the SOLID funds in all the Member States, is to conduct extensive discussions with the relevant national authorities and project implementers, and to visit border management facilities and procedures established with the support of the EBF, to ensure the correct implementation of the Funds pursuant to the Basic Acts and the Implementing Rules. To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses broadly on three main themes: public perceptions of migration; analysis of irregular migration and return trends; and the development of indicators to measure the impact of migration policies. This issue of MPP includes, in particular, an article by the IOM Deputy Director General, Ambassador Laura Thomson, who outlines an action plan to address anti-migrant sentiment and promote a more evidence-based discussion about migration. Other articles discuss the growing number of migrant deaths at sea in the Mediterranean region and around the world; the development of indicators to compare migration policies and define a global index on migration; the Australian government’s innovative Irregular Migration Research Programme; and the findings of a study on returnees participating in Assisted Voluntary Return programmes in 15 countries around the world.

The Study on the priorities for the development of Libya’s migration policy, which was carried out by Eurasylum on behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has just been published. Based on significant fieldwork in Tripoli, and consultations with a range of Government departments and other national and international stakeholders, the study assesses Libya’s current rules, institutional set-up and practices relating to migration management. It also formulates various options for the future development of Libya’s migration policy, including the steps and measures that need to be taken to that effect. The study’s conclusions and recommendations are designed to feed into the work of the EU-sponsored Inter-Ministerial Migration Policy Task Force, which also forms part of a wider, multi-million EU initiative designed to enhance migration management strategies and institutions in all three ‘Arab Spring’ countries (Egypt, Libya and Tunisia).

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It includes six interviews of leading migration policy thinkers in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and North America on the key migration policy challenges for 2015. The interviews discuss, in particular, the three most important migration policy challenges in each region in 2015; the predicted levels and structure of migration flows, in terms of types of migration, source countries and numbers and profiles of migrants; and the key policy debates around migration policy in 2015, for example in terms of draft legislation and/or new policy and programme interventions, political milestones (e.g. national or local elections) and public opinion trends. This issue of Migration Policy Practice also includes two articles by William Lacy Swing (the Director General of the International Organization for Migration – IOM) and António Guterres (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), who provide a more global outlook on likely migration and asylum policy developments in 2015.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It includes a lead article by Klaus Zimmermann, Director of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) and winner of the EIB Prize 2013 of the European Investment Bank, who outlines his vision for the future of labour migration and asylum policy in the European Union. Other articles in this issue of MPP focus on the key provisions and implications of the new legislation on forced marriage within migrant communities in the United Kingdom (by Richard Lewis); an analysis of how asylum seekers currently in Ireland’s direct provision system engage with the idea of assisted voluntary return to their countries of origin (by Liam Coakley); and a discussion of the issues raised in the consultative process related to migration and development in Nigeria (by Nnamdi Iwuora). This issue of MPP also includes a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQ) on tracking lives lost during migration. This draws from a report released by IOM earlier this year which provides the first annual global compilation of data on migrant deaths along sea, desert and other migratory routes. The FAQ addresses, inter alia, key questions concerning the process of tracking migrant deaths, what we know about those who die, and why we should count them.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It includes a lead article by Kelly Ryan, the Coordinator of the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees (IGC, Geneva), who discusses the rising international interest in unaccompanied and separated minors. The article outlines, in particular, the contours of a possible new policy framework for unaccompanied children that would include, in both destination countries and as much as possible in other situations, continuing efforts to make a proper identification, appropriate short term care arrangements, best interest determination to be used by competent authorities, speedy access to legal system and a determination on legal questions. The system also foresees careful consideration as to whether the competent authority believes that the child should be protected under its asylum, trafficking, or humanitarian programmes, which may require permanent family separation. Other articles in this issue of MPP focus on the situation of African immigrants in the U.S. labour market (by C. Omar Kebbeh, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Commerce); the role of cities and businesses in migrant and refugee integration (by Nava Hinrichs and Teressa Juzwiak, from The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration); and the development of an effective humanitarian response to mixed migration (by T. Craig Murphy, from IOM Kenya).

Eurasylum has been awarded a framework contract by the European Parliament, to provide external expertise to the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (the LIBE Committee) in the field of ‘Immigration, Integration and Management of the EU’s External Borders’. The contract will run until 2018 and will aim to conduct studies, policy reports, evaluations and impact assessments at the request of the LIBE Committee. The objectives of this contract are: ‘to strengthen the Committee’s knowledge in specific policy areas; to enable the Committee to respond to proposals made by the European Commission; and to provide a solid basis for some of the Committee’s own initiatives’. To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It includes a lead article by Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament, where he outlines his vision for the future of Europe’s immigration policy. Other articles in this issue of MPP focus on a range of global migration policy challenges, including the role of cities and regions in facilitating access to rights, benefits and services for migrants (by Colleen Thouez, from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research UNITAR); the integration patterns and needs for assistance of migrants/expatriates from the North, with special reference to US citizens (by Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfel, Director of the MA programme in International Migration at the University of Kent at Brussels); and the contribution of “Big Data” to improving our understanding of migration trends around the world (by Frank Laczko and Marzia Rango, from IOM).

Eurasylum, jointly with Ramboll, have been entrusted with the external evaluation of FRONTEX, the EU Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union. This one-year project, which is based on the provisions of Article 33 (1) of the Frontex Regulation, will entail extensive fieldwork at FRONTEX’s headquarters in Warsaw and in selected Member States. It will aim, first, to examine how effectively the Agency has been fulfilling its mission and implementing its founding Regulation. The evaluation will also take a strong forward-looking approach by aiming to issue concrete and implementable recommendations to the European Commission for possible changes to the Frontex Regulation, the Agency itself and its working practices. The project will further assess the feasibility of creating a European System of Border Guards. Key evaluation questions to be included in the assignment will include, inter alia: To what extent have the activities of the Agency improved the integrated management of the external borders of the Member States? To what extent have the activities of the Agency facilitated or rendered more effective the application of the relevant EU measures relating to the management of the external borders, in particular the Schengen Borders Code? To what extent have the activities of the Agency provided the Member States and the European Commission with the necessary technical support and expertise as well as promoted solidarity between Member States? To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

Eurasylum has been appointed by the European Commission to conduct monitoring missions in the Czech Republic (in relation to the EU External Borders Fund), Finland (in relation to the European Refugee Fund and the European Integration Fund), Portugal (in relation to the EU External Borders Fund and the European Return Fund), the United Kingdom (in relation to the European Return Fund), and Ireland (in relation to the European Return Fund), to assess the state of implementation of the EU SOLID funds. The purpose of these missions, which entail extensive discussions with the relevant national authorities and project implementers, is to ensure the correct implementation of the Funds pursuant to the Basic Acts and the Implementing Rules. To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It covers a range of national, regional and global migration policy challenges, including the results of a new UN global survey of Member States’ policy priorities in the field of migration; policy developments in Switzerland following the recent referendum against mass immigration; migration and health and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, with special reference to the links between tuberculosis (TB) and migration; recent trends in migration between China and Europe; and the role of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. Authors include officials from the UN, IOM and the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, as well as the Director of the Gobal Migration Centre in Geneva.

Eurasylum has been appointed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to develop and deliver a training programme for the Jordanian Border Guards, as well as for senior officials from the Jordanian Public Security Department and General Intelligence Department, on ‘Border Management related to Counter-Terrorism’. This is part of a programme on ‘Support to the Jordanian Border Guards in the Provision of Humanitarian Assistance to Syrian Refugees Crossing the Syrian-Jordanian Borders’, funded by an EU budget allocation of EUR 8 million to IOM. The programme aims to support the Jordanian authorities and build their capacity to ensure safe and humane onward transportation for Syrian refugees arriving in the country. To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It covers a range of topics including child migration, regional policy initiatives in the field of environmental migration, mixed migration flows into Libya, the challenge of counting and documenting lives lost during attempts by migrants to cross borders, and a review of Paul Collier’s book ‘Exodus: How Migration is Changing our World’. Authors include the Secretary General of the Terre des Hommes International Federation, the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Office (ILO), Save the Children and Altai Consulting.

Eurasylum has been appointed by the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) to chair its first ‘Professional Certificate in Strategic Migration Management’ course. The International Centre for Parliamentary Studies is a research institution of the United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN), and also works in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO). This one-week course, to be held on 24th – 28th March 2014 in London, will be attended by some 15 senior national public officials from around the world, in addition to officials from ILO, IOM and ECOWAS. The programme will provide an in-depth examination of the key planning, organisational and legal strategies and tools necessary for producing and implementing effective strategies in migration management. The course will consist of 17 modules, including topics such as: Developing and Implementing Migration Legislation and Policy; the Use of Strategic Planning Tools in Migration Management; Analysing Key International Trends in International Migration Flows; International Governance of Migration; Examining the Relationship between Migration and Development; Irregular Migration, Forced Migrants and Refugees; Regional and International Cooperation in Migration; Border Management Systems; Status determination; and Integration, Adjustment and Naturalisation. Eurasylum will chair every single training session throughout the week and will also conduct some of the courses, as well as facilitate and supervise the assessment exercise leading up to the award of the Certificate. To view the training programme please click here. To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

Eurasylum has been appointed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to carry out an in-depth assessment of the priorities for the development of Libya’s migration policy. The assignment, which will entail significant fieldwork in Tripoli, and consultations with a range of Government departments and other national and international stakeholders, will aim to assess Libya’s current rules, institutional set-up and practices relating to migration management. It will also aim to formulate various options for the future development of Libya’s migration policy, including the steps and measures that need to be taken to that effect. The study will examine all the key components of Libya’s migration policy, including issues of transit migration towards Europe. The study’s conclusions and recommendations will feed into the work of the EU-sponsored Inter-Ministerial Migration Policy Task Force, which is being established in order to develop Libya’s policies, legislation and national capacity in the management of migration flows. This also forms part of a wider, multi-million EU initiative designed to enhance migration management strategies and institutions in all three ‘Arab Spring’ countries (Egypt, Libya and Tunisia). To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

Eurasylum has been appointed by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC-Middle East) to provide technical advice on immigration matters in support of a number of assignments. This includes the production of policy reports and capacity assessments, and the design and delivery of training for public officials, in a number of immigration control policy areas. This contract will run through 2014 and will include several specific thematic assignments. To view other new and on-going projects at Eurasylum, please click here.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It covers a range of policy areas including on new methods to process and enhance census data in Australia; the role of the business sector in encouraging more proactive migration policies in the interest of economic growth; new approaches to measuring the costs of brain drain; a review of the Second Basic Plan for Immigration Policy in the Republic of Korea (2013-2017); and the effects of female emigration on children and the elderly left behind. Authors include senior representatives from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, the World Bank, and IOM, as well as the Chair of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Migration and researchers from the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance.

A new study by Ramboll and Eurasylum on ‘The economic impact of short stay visa facilitation on the tourism industry and on the overall economies of EU Member States being part of the Schengen Area’, has just been published by the European Commission. The study evaluates the implementation of the common visa provisions in the Schengen area from the tourism industry/travellers’ viewpoint, and focuses on travellers from six target markets: China, India, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Ukraine. Together, travellers from these six markets accounted for almost two thirds of the visa travellers to the Schengen area in 2012. Primary data was collected from Schengen Member States’ Consulates, Travel Agents and Tour Operators, and a panel survey was conducted among current and potential travellers to the Schengen area, asking respondents about their travel habits, preferences, perceptions and opinions about the Schengen visa practices, as well as their preferred facilitation options. One of the study’s findings is that while the current Schengen visa regime has contributed to more harmonised visa procedures, it has also deterred or constricted access for both tourists and business travellers to the Schengen area: According to the study’s estimates, in 2012, a total of 6.6 million potential travellers from the six target markets were “lost” due to the Schengen area visa regime. Based on average spending figures, this means that the tourism industry in the Schengen area loses out on a potential EUR 5.5 billion in direct contributions to GDP every year, adding up to approximately 113,000 jobs in the tourism industry and related sectors. Taking into account a forecasted growth rate in the number of travellers from the six countries, this leads to 34.8 million travellers lost over five years. Please click here to download the study.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses solely on the upcoming United Nations High-level Dialogue on Migration and Development, to be held in New York on 3-4 October 2013. For only the second time in its history, the UN General Assembly will focus on international migration and its implications for development. As UN Special Representative for Migration, Sir Peter Sutherland, noted in the previous issue of Migration Policy Practice, the summit in October must generate action and deepen cooperation between States to maximise the benefits of migration for development. The UN High-level Dialogue also provides the international community with an opportunity to underline the importance of integrating migration into the emerging post-2015 development framework. In this issue of MPP authors of different backgrounds outline what they consider to be the key global migration challenges ahead of the 2013 Summit. This includes contributions by the Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM); the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs; senior Government officials from the Philippines and the US State Department; the Coordinator of civil society activities at the UN High-level Dialogue and the Global Forum for Migration and Development; and other senior experts.

The Final Report by Eurasylum, on behalf of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), on ‘The effectiveness of measures for the integration of trafficked persons’, has just been published. The report, prepared by Dr Joanne van Selm, Eurasylum’s Associate Director of Research, analyses and compares the integration measures directed at victims of trafficking in Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy and the United Kingdom. It also provides recommendations for enhancing the integration of victims of trafficking in EU host countries. The study, which was funded by the EC Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals, the Italian Ministry of the Interior and Migrant Helpline, is based on more than 100 interviews with service providers, policy-makers and former victims of trafficking. Please click here to download the report in English. The report is also available in French, Italian, Dutch, and Hungarian.

The study by Ramboll and Eurasylum on ‘The requirements specific to minors travelling alone or accompanied, legally entering or leaving the Member States and Associated Countries’, has just been published by the European Commission. The study, which resulted from the request made in the so-called Passport Regulation, as amended by Regulation EC no 444/2009, for the European Commission to present a report on this topic, examines the legislation and practices in all 31 EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries regarding the requirements specific to minors (both EU and third-country nationals) crossing the EU’s external borders. The Ramboll-Eurasylum study assesses, among other things, the functioning of the “one person-one passport” principle, as set out in Article 1(1) of the modified Passport Regulation, and provides conclusions based on the views of border guards and other stakeholders about the benefits and potential gaps of this principle. The study was conducted through desk research and more than 200 interviews and 11 case studies in all the EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries. Please click here to download the study. On the basis of this study, a ‘Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and Council on the requirements for children crossing the external borders of the Member States {COM(2013) 567 final}’ was published on 2 August 2013.

The study by Ramboll and Eurasylum on ‘The feasibility and legal and practical implications of establishing a mechanism for the joint processing of asylum applications on the territory of the EU’ has just been published by the European Commission. The purpose of this study is to inform the legal, administrative, political, financial and practical implications of setting up a system of joint processing of asylum claims within the territory of the EU. Through fieldwork and interviews of Member State officials and other stakeholders (MEPs, EASO, UNHCR, IOM, ECRE), the study examines various options for joint processing, including: joint processing between two or more Member States; joint processing facilitated through EASO; and joint processing with the possible participation of the UNHCR. Please click here to download the study.

The new issue of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It covers a range of policy areas including the second UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development; issues of climate change and migration in the MENA region; new trends in North-South migration; and migration as a development enabler in the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The lead article in this issue of MPP is by Peter Sutherland, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Migration, who sets out his vision and expectations for the second UN High Level Dialogue in October 2013. According to Sir Peter Sutherland, in order for the second HLD Summit to be successful, it must achieve four goals: UN Member States should forge a consensus position on incorporating migration into the next iteration of the Millennium Development Goals; there must be a commitment by states to help some of the most vulnerable migrants, i.e. those affected by acute-onset crises; States should acknowledge the success of the Global Forum by committing to its long-term sustainability, including by providing predictable financial support; and there must be a vigorous debate to help define a set of priorities for the next decade. This includes a better understanding of what changes are needed in the global governance of migration and in the institutions that oversee the movement of people across borders.

The study by Ramboll and Eurasylum on ’The situation of third-country nationals pending return/removal in the EU Member States and the Schengen Associated Countries’ has just been published by the European Commission. The overall aim of the study is to provide a factual and comparative picture of the situation of third-country nationals pending return or removal in EU Member States and Schengen Associated Countries, as well as a solid basis for further policy reflection on possible legislative initiatives in this field. The study has entailed extensive fieldwork and interviews of Member State officials and other EU and international stakeholders. Among other findings, the study shows that in most of the Member States there is no dedicated legislation or even specific terminology for third-country nationals pending return/removal. In addition, despite the route to legalisation offered by some Member States, third-country nationals can have their return/removal order pending for years, without such postponement having any impact on their rights and situation. Please click here to download the study.

The new edition of Migration Policy Practice, the joint IOM-Eurasylum bimonthly journal, was published today. It focuses on child migration and seeks to respond to the Call to Action launched earlier this year by UNICEF, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Eurostat and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to prioritize actions to address evidence gaps in children’s migration data. This special issue brings together the perspectives, experiences and recommendations of scholars and practitioners working with children and on migration in different regions of the world

Ramboll and Eurasylum organised a conference in Brussels yesterday to disseminate and discuss the outcomes of their ‘Study on the Situation of third-country nationals pending postponed return/removal in the EU Member States and the Schengen Associated Countries’, prepared on behalf of the European Commission. The purpose of the conference, which was attended by Government officials from the EU and the USA, and by a range of other stakeholders, was to elaborate on the findings of the Ramboll-Eurasylum study through discussions, and sharing of experience and good practice from across the EU and internationally, as well as to identify new scenarios for further legal/policy action in this field.