Migration and development? An assessment of recent EU policy initiatives.

The idea that migration policy and development policy are interrelated and influence each other hasgained ground over the past few years. The EU has been keen to link migration policy to developmentpolicy in several of its policy initiatives. Based on a discussion of the notion of 'migration anddevelopment', this article identifies four policy dilemmas facing policy-makers who aim to linkmigration policy and development policy. It then goes on to examine four EU policy initiatives (theGlobal Approach to Migration; the Policy Plan on Legal Migration; the thematic programme for thecooperation with third countries in the areas of migration and asylum; and the Mobility Partnerships)to determine how these initiatives aim to link migration policy and development policy. It finds thatnone of the policy initiatives adequately address the policy dilemmas. Only the two most recentinitiatives (the thematic programme and the Mobility Partnerships) address the broad range ofsuggested policies which link migration policy and development policy. Generally, it is clear from theinitiatives that the EU prioritises the reduction of illegal immigration to its territory.