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18 October 2016 is the 10th EU Anti-Trafficking Day. In a three-part-blog series, ICMPD analyses challenges and future priorities for the EU and its Member States in combating trafficking in human beings. In view of the forthcoming EU Anti-Trafficking Strategy, we're looking at current anti-trafficking efforts in the context of global migration trends and policies, asking the question of how current debates might shape anti-trafficking in the coming years.

The surge in the number of refugees and migrants making their way to Europe in 2015 brought the weaknesses of the fragile European migration and protection system to the forefront and indeed led to a virtual collapse of some of its key components, such as the Dublin Regulation. This triggered a policy and political crisis within the European Union as Member States and European Commission found themselves in disagreement over how to effectively handle the situation.

This infographic provides an introduction to complementary labour pathways, explaining who they are for, what benefits they can bring, and how they can be expanded in the EU.

This infographic provides an introduction to working holidays and other youth mobility schemes, explaining their potential benefits and how they can be expanded in EU Member States.

This commentary reflects on the major migration-related policy developments over the past four years that influenced or culminated in the EU’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum. It describes a radically changed landscape since 2020, when governments — principally out of realpolitik — broke taboos, one by one, right across the migration policy spectrum, a trend which looks set to continue after the European elections on 6-9 June.   

This timeline charts the key EU migration policy developments and events influencing the discourse on migration during the 2019-2024 European Commission. 

These infographics map selected legal migration channels and other labour migration initiatives that might be utilised to support complementary labour pathways to Austria, Czechia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

With another academic year underway, talent stakeholders should already be thinking about how they can convince this year’s graduates, and international students more broadly, to stay and take up in-demand jobs. Universities, employers, local economic development actors, and governments all have a role to play in facilitating the move from the classroom to the workplace – and they should engage, together, sooner rather than later.  

Extreme weather, dwindling resources, and violent conflict are forcing millions in the Horn of Africa from their homes. This commentary delves into migration governance challenges, good practices, and gaps, providing recommendations for scalable solutions in the region and beyond, as highlighted during a recent Khartoum Process workshop on “Navigating the Nexus: Climate Change and Displacement in Conflict-Affected Settings.”

The extension of temporary protection until March 2026 has given the EU and its Member States additional time to monitor the development of the war in Ukraine and to identify possible exit strategies from temporary protection. However, recent diplomatic tensions between the United States and Ukraine have made predicting the war’s trajectory even more difficult. To ensure that Ukrainians under temporary protection do not remain in indefinite uncertainty, efforts to develop EU wide structured exit strategies from temporary protection must continue. An examination of the corresponding policies of individual European states can provide valuable insight in this regard.

Skills-based mobility remains the cornerstone of attracting third-country nationals and unlocking Europe’s growth and innovation potential. Incorporating algorithmic matching to account for a wider range of considerations—beyond just skills—can enhance international talent retention, reduce barriers for employers, and broaden destination options throughout Europe.

The EU has promoted the creation of the Talent Pool as a key tool for addressing skill shortages across the Union. With its adoption expected soon, the question remains: Will Member States, employers, and jobseekers actively engage with it? This commentary outlines five concrete ways to increase the Talent Pool’s added value and, by extension, the likelihood that it will meet its talent attraction and retention objectives. 

Due to Covid-19 lockdown, the importance of ‘key workers’ performing ‘systemically relevant’ jobs is clearer. Many of these are migrants, most of them are women. An ICMPD data survey illustrates the importance of refugees to alleviate the disruption caused by the pandemic.