The European Union position on the High-Level Dialogue
Since the ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999, immigration policy within the European Union has become subject to the EC decision-making rules with a view to developing a common EU policy on migration-related issues.
Over the past years, the European Union has also increasingly paid particular attention to the synergies between migration and development. Its governing bodies have produced and adopted a number of communications, directives, official positions revealing the EU Member States’ commitment to move towards a coherent approach in the field of migration and development in partnership with third countries and other international and regional entities.
In the run up to the United Nations High Level Dialogue (HLD), the Council of the European Union adopted on 17 July 2006 a common and official EU position that was presented to the United Nations Secretary General as a contribution to the preparation of the HLD.
Drawing on the July 2006 Communication from the Commission to the Council with regard to the HLD, the Council document asserted EU’s recognition of the interrelationship between the two fields, further stating that ‘a coherent approach in this context is important’.
While underlining the importance of capitalizing on migrants’ potential as potential development agents through notably the implementation of effective integration policies respectful of human and labour rights and combatting illegal migration, the EU position called, among other things, for:
(i) greater incorporation of the migration dimension into partner countries’ national poverty reduction and development strategies;
(ii) the deployment of more ethical and disciplined recruitment policies and a greater use of circular migration policies in an attempt to respond to the brain drain phenomenon experienced by several migrant-sending countries in key sectors;
(iii) increasing competition in the remittances service market as a strategy to reduce the money transfer costs;
(iv) facilitating the use of remittances for productive investments and development;
(v) incorporating a gender sensitive perspective in all migration and development policies and programmes.
In its position, the EU also values the significance of the South-South migration flows towards which it has expressed its support by assisting partner countries through migration management capacity-building initiatives.
View key documents:
The EU position concerning the preparation of the UN High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, adopted at the General Affairs and External Relations Council Meeting on 17 July 2006, 11740/06
Communication from the Commission to the Council: Contribution to the EU Position for the United Nations’ High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development, COM(2006) 409 final, 14 July 2006
Other recent EU documents on migration and development:
