Joint webinar
In recent years, the issue of irregular migration has ignited intense debates across European countries, prompting varied responses from national governments and the European Union. While some advocate for stronger immigration controls, others emphasise the protection of fundamental rights and greater inclusion of irregular migrants. But more effective policies vis-à-vis irregular migrants require thinking beyond immigration policies. Any attempt to develop more effective policies vis-à-vis irregular migrants is likely to fail if it does not take into account the role of broader national institutions of host countries.
Based on a new research paper from the Protecting Irregular Migrants in Europe (PRIME) project, this joint webinar will present a theoretical analysis of the role played by national institutions in shaping the lives and policies concerning irregular migrants in Europe, including:
why European liberal democracies are conflicted between the goals of immigration control and fundamental rights protection for all people;
why the particular nature of this goal conflict and how it is managed in government policy responses can be expected to vary across European countries with different institutional contexts;
why and how the ‘settings’ of key national institutions – legal institutions, political institutions, labour market institutions, and welfare state institutions – can ‘weigh’ in by favouring different sides of the goal conflict and thereby shape host country policies and outcomes for irregular migrants.
About PRIME
This webinar is part of the ongoing PRIME project, funded by EU Horizon. For further details, please visit the PRIME website and sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on our research findings and upcoming events.
The Joint Webinar Series
This is the 5th webinar of the Joint Webinar Series, which brings together expertise and insights from six other ongoing Horizon Europe projects on irregular migration, including:
· Measuring Irregular Migration (MIrreM);
· Improving the living and labour conditions of irregularised migrant households in Europe (I-CLAIM);
· Dignity For Irregular Migrants in EU Farm2Fork Labour Markets (DignityFIRM);
· De-centring the Study of Migrant Returns and Readmission Policies in Europe and Beyond (GAPs);
· Finding Agreement in Return (FAiR);
· Motivations, experiences and consequences of returns and readmissions policy: revealing and developing effective alternatives (more).
The live webinars are hosted on a rotating basis by the different projects on topics relevant to their research, current societal challenges or policy developments. Video recordings of the webinars are also archived on the joint YouTube channel.