Publications

Return and reintegration programs provide travel and post-arrival assistance for migrants returning from a country of temporary residence to a country of origin. These programs are not always commonplace in migration management, with some countries preferring to manage departures and any associated departure assistance under general border security functions. In the last eighteen months, the number of return and reintegration programs has doubled in Prague Process non-EU participating states. High-level responses to migration flows are encouraging neighbouring or like-minded countries to find common ground for cooperation and networking for these programs. Some of these programs have the potential to function as part of a broader regional network. Mapping the existence and functionality of these programs provides a starting point for more specific dialogue and action within the Prague Process and beyond.

In August 2021, the radical Taliban movement took control of almost the entire territory of Afghanistan. Fearing for their lives, many Afghan citizens want to flee the country. The prospect of a migrant influx from Afghanistan greatly concerns the Central Asian countries, since radical Islamists may also cross the border along with the displaced population. To effectively counter and be prepared for different scenarios, the Central Asian countries have been strengthening their borders and enlisting the support of fellow member states of regional associations, such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). This publication describes the situation in Afghanistan and the related policies of the Central Asian countries in terms of possible forced displacements.

This Policy Brief will focus on one of the widely recognized global processes: the decline of human populations. Rapid population growth accompanied development during the second half of the previous century. Demographic decline or the potential for decline will underlie development over the first half of the present century. This Policy Brief will draw attention to some of the inherent tensions created by this process and specifically its linkages with migration, both internal and international. It will flag up the overall demographic trends across the Prague Process countries, identify differences across the countries, and highlight policy issues that will need to be addressed.

This publication aims at contributing to the debate on preparedness in the area of international migration, to present a number of factors that shape the size and structure of migration flows, and to discuss how these drivers might develop in the coming years. 

This report attempts to identify patterns and contradictions linked to internal displacement before and after 24 February 2022. It looks at the factors determining the legal status of IDP in the past, and the dynamics and peculiarities witnessed since the time of Russia’s invasion. The second part discusses the administrative, integration, financial and infrastructural traps that IDPs are facing and proposes concrete recommendations to resolve them. It also assesses the existing administrative resources and institutional progress made. One important observation is that most of the current problems largely existed since 2014 but have enormously grown in size in 2022.

The infographic represents a snapshot of migration from Russia following the partial mobilisation that was announced in late September 2022.  This visualisation was first published in the Prague Process Quarterly Review No 32 July-September 2022.

This third collection of selected publications produced within the Prague Process Migration Observatory is released amidst Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has resulted in the largest human displacement witnessed in Europe since World War II. More than 14 million people were forced to flee their homes in search for safety. Nearly seven million people have fled to neighbouring countries and further afar, with women and children accounting for the vast majority of the externally displaced Ukrainian citizens. Two chapters address the migration repercussions of the war: First, special attention is given to the vulnerability among those fleeing the war to human trafficking. Secondly, the elaboration of possible post-war scenarios shall allow us to better understand the mid- and long-term migration repercussions of the war. 

This Background Note was established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027. 

This Background Note was established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027.

This Background Note was established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027. 

This Background Note was established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027. 

This Background Note was established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027. 

This Background Note was established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027. 

The recent past has seen Uzbekistan’s great efforts toward regulating organised labour migration. The country concluded a number of far-reaching agreements with countries hosting large numbers of Uzbek migrant workers, thereby supporting the employment of own citizens abroad. It also prioritized efforts on creating jobs and promoting employment within the country, especially among the youth, with 2021 proclaimed “The Year of Youth Support and Health Promotion” by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Meanwhile, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the domestic workforce, including returning migrants, negatively and forced the Uzbek Government to take additional measures to provide legal and social protection to labour migrants in order to mitigate these negative consequences.

This paper summarises the latest developments in this field and actions taken by the Government, ranging from the introduction of a system of economic, financial, organisational and legal assistance for migrants to the provision of training for in-demand professions, skills and languages.

Return and reintegration programs are an important part of overall migration management. Most countries place significant emphasis on entry requirements to regulate migration inflows, and equal emphasis on return and reintegration is necessary. ‘Returns’ exist in three main categories: forced (where departure decisions are made by state authorities), voluntary (where departure decisions are made in consultation with the traveller) or self-managed (where the traveller makes all departure decisions). For the purposes of this policy paper, ‘return’ means predominantly ‘voluntary return’ or return other than forced return.

Furthermore, this paper specifically addresses those return programs that link with some form of post-return assistance (reception assistance, post-arrival assistance, reintegration assistance) in the country of origin. It identifies efficiencies and methods that represent best practice and increase performance of the program. It also identifies new perspectives and new ways of viewing traditional policy and program settings. Return and reintegration programs are governed by traditional program settings and function in a standardised manner. However, it is important to recognise the limitations of general program settings. This paper examines the function and utility of these programs. Additionally, there is a discussion of major program features and operational challenges. The paper includes findings from a short examination of return and reintegration programs for all fifty Prague Process participant states.

Since 2014, the number of Ukrainian labour migrants moving to the European Union (EU) has increased significantly. In 2019 alone, Ukrainian nationals received 660,000 residence permits for remunerated activities across the member states – the largest external labour force in the EU. The reliance of member state economies on workers from Ukraine has thus reached significant levels, as exemplified by the labour shortage seen during the COVID-19 crisis that forced the EU to shut down its borders.

While Ukrainian labour migration to the EU produces economic benefits on both sides, the exchange is beset by multiple challenges. These include limited protection of Ukrainian labour migrants, circumvention of work permit rules, and attempts by unscrupulous actors to lure Ukrainians into accepting precarious or non-existent jobs. This report assesses these challenges and their implications, before providing a set of targeted solutions, ranked according to a Feasibility Score. The proposed solutions range from establishing a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information provision and a joint employment database for non-EU nationals, to launching negotiations on amending the legislation on work permits.

This working paper analyses EU policies, legal categories, rights and the options for and limits to returning irregular migrants. It includes the analysis of EU legal and policy frameworks on irregular migration, including their nexus with other policy areas (such as asylum, labour migration, and trafficking). It examines EU policies that are deemed to prevent irregular migration, but in fact create pathways into irregularity, and it describes EU legal options for pathways out of irregularity.

Based on 20 countries across Europe, North America and North Africa, this report synthesises key trends and patterns of national policy approaches towards migrant irregularity, highlighting commonalities and differences across various contexts. In particular, it examines three key research questions: how have irregular migration policies evolved over time and in response to what; what pathways into and out of irregularity have these policies produced or aimed to address; and what challenges have hindered policy implementation. In doing so, the report aims to contextualise irregular migration policy changes, as well as how such policies can channel migrants into or out of irregularity.

The Annual Report takes stock of the milestones, opportunities and challenges in the past year, along with recurring issues that have surfaced to reshape the migration discourse.

This Policy Brief explores how migrants engage with modern technologies throughout their integration trajectories in host countries, highlighting the reasons why they may encounter digital obstacles and the instances where governments have, intentionally or unintentionally, marginalised them. This brief also examines the opportunities and limitations of existing bottom-up and top-down approaches to digitalisation in migrant integration processes, particularly in Europe, as well as offers recommendations on how digital technologies can be better tailored to migrants’ needs, thereby enabling more efficient investments in digital technologies within integration settings and generating increased opportunities for migrant agency.
 

Authors:

Dr. Amanda Alencar, Associate Professor at the Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam. This publication was produced in the framework of the Prague Process, financed by the European Union through the Migration Partnership Facility

The aim of this mapping report was to identify the key stakeholders from public sector working on migration management in respective countries as well as the private sector entities, organisations and funds that support start-ups, scaleups and SME development, in scope with the EMLINK project objectives. In order to gain comprehensive overview for the mapping and insights into the focus of the work of the key stakeholders, the experts from Georgia and from Belgium have been identified to develop this report together with the ICMPD EMLINK project team.

The defining characteristic of the transnational market for human smuggling is the agentive choice by migrants to purchase services in order to facilitate their transportation across state borders. This broad definition includes a large variety of transactions between migrants and actors performing distinct roles, based on the nuances of diverse local dynamics. This analytical report applies a critical lens to the impact of counter-smuggling policies, in order to enable governments to set better-informed policy priorities. It is important that policymakers do not approach regulating human smuggling exclusively through the lenses of criminality, security, and law enforcement. Although human smuggling services are purchased through informal markets that infringe on national laws, these informal markets share many characteristics with other legal economic activities. A narrow focus on the criminal nature of the human smuggling industry would problematically draw policymakers’ attention away from understanding how the laws and regulations that they enact influence the lived experiences of migrants. By expanding this focus, this analytical report aims to provide government actors with a tool for understanding the nuances of the human smuggling market and the full effects of potential counter-smuggling policies.

A growing body of scholarship offers deeper insight into the disorganized and highly human interactions and transactions involved in irregular migration journeys. Rather than overemphasizing the role of transnational organized crime in human smuggling, this emerging field of research examines the role of interpersonal relationships and community knowledge in facilitating migration journeys and ameliorating potential risks. Broadly referred to as ‘social capital,’ information shared through diaspora communities about the reputation of smuggling service providers acts a regulatory mechanism in the absence of official government oversight. Individuals’ access to social capital is changeable and can fluctuate as the result of counter-smuggling policies, among other factors. Understanding the role of social capital in the market for human smuggling will allow government actors to design migration management policies that more effectively safeguard migrants’ wellbeing

This second collection of publications produced within the Prague Process Migration Observatory covers the period 2019-2020. It aims to inform migration decision-makers, specialists, scientists, academics and the interested public about ongoing migration trends and policy developments across the Prague Process region. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited the possibilities of travelling, meeting each other and socializing, all of which had been essential to make this intergovernmental dialogue a living organism. The unprecedented circumstances encouraged us to explore new possibilities and approaches, moving our work to the world of virtual meetings, online webinars and development of e-learning tools. The authors featured in this book are state representatives, academic experts or other specialists. Their contributions aim at raising awareness concerning a wide range of migration phenomena that affect people’s lives or even societies as a whole. The collected publications shall inform the interested reader and possibly inspire new ideas and initiatives for the future.

The Guidelines for the integration of refugees and migrants are developed in the framework of the EU-funded “Supporting implementation of the Mobility Partnership with Azerbaijan (MOBILAZE 2)” project for institutions and organisations which will provide integration services in the future. The guidelines provide a framework for the effective integration of migrants and refugees into host communities in Azerbaijan. The Guidelines emphasise the importance of fostering social inclusion, ensuring equal access to services, and promoting cultural understanding. Key areas of focus include education, employment, healthcare, and social cohesion. The guidelines advocate for creating supportive policies that respect human rights and dignity, encourage community engagement, and facilitate the economic and social contributions of migrants and refugees in Azerbaijan. Collaboration between governments, NGOs, and local communities is essential for successful integration.