MIGRATION SEMINAR. The role of third countries in EU migration policy: the Mobility Partnerships
Natasja Reslow, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Political Science, Maastricht University
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s there was a gradual realisation among European policy-makers that migration policy is, by its very nature, a matter of foreign policy. Europe cannot achieve its migration policy objectives through border controls alone. Therefore, it needs to cooperate with third countries (i.e. non-EU, developing countries). However, third countries may have very different objectives than Europe: European countries tend to be mostly concerned with preventing illegal migration, but third countries do not necessarily have an interest in preventing the illegal migration of their own citizens. The European Union acknowledges this, and seeks to incentivise cooperation on migration matters (for example by offering visa facilitation for third countries that agree to help prevent illegal migration). The question is, are these incentives sufficient? This paper asks under which circumstances are third countries willing to cooperate with the EU on migration issues, and what role can they play in the policy-making process? The case study is the EU Mobility Partnerships (the partnership with Cape Verde, and the failed negotiations with Senegal).
About the speaker
Natasja Reslow has been a Ph.D. candidate at the political science department of Maastricht University since December 2008. She completed an undergraduate MA in Modern European Languages and European Union Studies at the University of Edinburgh, and graduated cum laude from the MA European Studies (European and International Politics) at Maastricht University. Her Ph.D. research focusses on the governance of EU migration policy, and will be part of a broader project entitled "Migration and Development: A World in Motion" carried out by a consortium of research institutes and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Venue: Conference Room, UNU-MERIT/MGSoG, Keizer Karelplein 19, Maastricht
Date: 12 October 2011
Time: 12:30 - 13:30 CET
