Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on circular migration and mobility partnerships between the European Union and third countries
Date: 2007-05-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU employment policy, EU migration policy, cooperation policy, foreign national, international agreement, migratory movement, third country

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 16.5.2007 
COM(2007) 248 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

On circular migration and mobility partnerships between  
the European Union and third countries 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

On circular migration and mobility partnerships between  
the European Union and third countries 

I. 

Introduction 

The  European  Council,  in  conclusions  adopted  in  December  2006,  stated  that  "While 
respecting the competences of Member States in this area, consideration will be given to how 
legal migration opportunities can be incorporated into the Union's external policies in order 
to develop a balanced partnership with third countries adapted to specific EU Member States' 
labour market needs; ways and means to facilitate circular and temporary migration will be 
explored; the Commission is invited to present detailed proposals on how to better organize 
and inform about the various forms of legal movement between the EU and third countries by 
June 2007". 

This  Communication  aims  to  respond  to  this  request.  Based  on  the  existing  policy  and 
cooperation framework, it seeks to identify novel approaches to improve the management of 
legal  movements  of  people  between  the  EU  and  third  countries  ready  to  make  significant 
efforts to fight illegal migration. In addition, it looks at ways to facilitate circular migration, 
which  will  help  EU  Member  States  address  their  labour  needs  while  exploiting  potential 
positive  impacts  of  migration  on  development  and  responding  to  the  needs  of  countries  of 
origin in terms of skill transfers and of mitigating the impact of brain drain. 

It builds on earlier Commission initiatives, in particular the Communication on Migration and 
Development1 and the Policy Plan on legal migration2, in addition to the renewed efforts to 
fight illegal immigration3, in particular by means of stronger action against illegal work and 
especially  employers  using  illegal  migrant  workers.  It  also  aims  to  expand  and  give 
operational  substance  to  the  EU's  Global  Approach  to  migration,  as  highlighted  in  the 
European Council's conclusions of December 2005 and December 2006 and the Commission 
Communication  on  'the  Global  Approach  to  migration  one  year  on'4  and  on  "Applying  the 
Global  Approach  to  migration  to  the  Eastern  and  South-Eastern  regions  neighbouring  the 
European Union"5. 

II. 

Developing mobility partnerships  

Proposals  for  improving  the  conditions  for  legal  movement  of  people  between  the  EU  and 
third countries should obviously be based on the existing framework for the legal movement 
of persons to the EU, which is briefly described in Annex I.  

1 
2 
3 

4 

5 

Migration and Development: some concrete orientations - COM(2005) 390, 1.9.2005. 
COM(2005) 669, 21.12.2005. 
Communication on Policy priorities in the fight against illegal immigration of third-country nationals - 
COM(2006) 402, 19.7.2006. 
"The Global Approach to Migration one year on: Towards a comprehensive European migration policy" 
- COM(2006) 73, 30.11.2006. 
COM(2007) 247, 16.5.2007. 

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The  Communication  on  'the  Global  Approach  to  migration  one  year  on'  stated  in  particular 
that  'once  certain  conditions  have  been  met,  such  as  cooperation  on  illegal  migration  and 
effective mechanisms for readmission, the objective could be to agree mobility packages with 
a number of interested third countries which would enable their citizens to have better access 
to  the  EU.  There  is  a  clear  need  to  better  organise  the  various  forms  of  legal  movement 
between the EU and third countries. Mobility packages would provide the overall framework 
for  managing  such  movements  and  would  bring  together  the  possibilities  offered  by  the 
Member  States  and  the  European  Community,  while  fully  respecting  the  division  of 
competences as provided by the Treaty'. 

The  EU  therefore  needs  to  look  at  how  such  packages  –  which  should  in  the  Commission's 
view  be  called  "mobility  partnerships"  –  can  be  put  together  and,  in  association  with 
interested  Member  States,  negotiated  by  the  EC  with  third  countries  that  have  committed 
themselves to cooperating actively with the EU on management of migration flows, including 
by  fighting  against  illegal  migration,  and  that  are  interested  in  securing  better  access  to  EU 
territory for their citizens.  

This  chapter  looks  at  both  the  legal  nature  and  form  of  mobility  partnerships  and  their 
possible contents. 

A. 

Legal nature and form of mobility partnerships 

Mobility  partnerships  will  necessarily  have  a  complex  legal  nature,  as  they  will  involve  a 
series  of  components,  some  of  which  will  fall  in  the  Community's  remit  and  others  in  the 
Member States'. The EU needs to ensure that a coherent partnership can be put together in the 
most  expeditious  manner,  while  respecting  the  division  of  powers  between  the  EC  and 
Member States and ensuring consistency with the existing legal and political framework for 
relations  between  the  third  country  in  question,  the  Community  and  the  relevant  Member 
States. 

Negotiation of any mobility partnership would need to be based on clear political guidelines 
from the Council, on the basis of a recommendation from the Commission. In addition, each 
mobility partnership should provide for a follow-up mechanism, making the greatest possible 
use of existing frameworks for dialogue between the authorities of the country in question, the 
Commission  and  interested  Member  States  (e.g.  the  thematic  subcommittees  or  working 
groups  established  under  the  relevant  agreements).  The  implementation  of  mobility 
partnerships  could  also  be  supported  where  appropriate  by  Migration  Support  Teams 
(MISTs)6. 

B. 

Contents of mobility partnerships 

Mobility partnerships will need to take into account the current state of the EU's relations with 
the  third  country  concerned  as  well  as  the  general  approach  towards  it  in  EU  external 
relations. They will be tailored to the specifics of each relevant third country, to the ambitions 
of  the  country  concerned  and  of  the  EU,  and  to  the  level  of  commitments  which  the  third 
country  is  ready  to  take  on  in  terms  of  action  against  illegal  migration  and  facilitating 
reintegration  of  returnees, 
to  provide  returnees  with  employment 
opportunities.  The  precise  structure  of  the  mobility  partnership  should  be  informed  by 

including  efforts 

6 

As proposed in the Communication on 'The Global Approach to migration one year on'. 

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migration  profiles  where  available.  It  is  impossible  to  list  all  the  possible  components  of  a 
mobility  partnership  here,  as  these  will  depend  on  the  specific  situation.  In  addition,  the 
dimensions  that  interested  Member  States  may  want  to  bring  into  a  mobility  partnership 
would be  influenced  by their own  legal frameworks (in particular on  the  admission of third 
country nationals) and by political constraints and priorities. Nevertheless, a typical mobility 
partnership could include some or all the components mentioned in this section, which looks 
first  at  the  commitments  expected  from  the  third  countries  concerned  and  then  at  the 
commitments to be given by the EC and Member States participating: 

(1) 

Commitments expected from the third country concerned 

The  commitments  expected  from  the  third  country  concerned  to  fighting  illegal  migration 
would  differ  from  case  to  case,  depending,  inter  alia,  on  the  legal  framework  in  place,  but 
could include, for example: 

•  A commitment effectively to readmit its own nationals and to cooperate fully in 

identifying them; 

•  An  additional  commitment  to  readmitting,  under  clearly  defined  circumstances, 
third  country  nationals  and  stateless  persons  who  arrived  in  the  EU  through  the 
territory of the country concerned, where appropriate in the framework of an EC 
readmission agreement; 

•  Initiatives 

to  discourage 

illegal  migration 

through 

targeted 

information 

campaigns; 

•  Efforts to improve border control and/or management, supported as appropriate by 

operational cooperation with Member States and/or FRONTEX;  

•  Efforts  to  improve  the  security  of  travel  documents  against  fraud  or  forgery, 
where  appropriate  by  using  biometrics,  and,  where  relevant,  the  security  of  the 
documents  used  as  a  basis  for  issuing  them  (e.g.  national  identification 
documents); 

•  A  commitment  to  cooperating  and  exchanging  information  with  relevant 
authorities in EU Member States with a view to improving cooperation on border 
management  issues  and  thereby  helping  reduce  the  security  risks  linked  to 
international movements of people; 

•  Specific  measures  and  initiatives  seriously  to  combat  migrant  smuggling  and 
human  trafficking,  in  line  with  the  Council  of  Europe  Convention  against 
Trafficking  in  Human  Beings,  the  relevant  Protocols  to  the  UN  Convention  on 
trans-national  organised  crime  and/or  relevant  regional  frameworks  such  as  the 
Africa/EU Ouagadougou Action plan on the fight against human trafficking. 

•  Commitments  to  promote  productive  employment  and  decent  work,  and  more 
generally to improve the economic and social framework conditions, should also 
be sought from the third country concerned as they may contribute to reducing the 
incentives for irregular migration. 

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This type of measures must be implemented in full compliance with the fundamental rights of 
the  persons  in  question,  including  the  specific  rights  of  persons  who  might  be  in  need  of 
international protection. Third countries could possibly benefit from specific financial and/or 
technical assistance provided by the EC and/or participating Member States,  for example to 
facilitate the economic and social reintegration of returning migrants. 

(2) 

Commitments to be given by the EC and Member States participating 

Here too the specific commitments would depend on the circumstances, but could include for 
example some or all of the following components: 

(a) 

Improved opportunities for legal migration for nationals of the third country  

Mobility  partnerships  will  facilitate  the  migration  of  nationals  of  the  third  country  to 
interested EU Member States. They could cover economic migration exclusively or extend to 
other  forms  of  legal  migration,  such  as  migration  for  studies  or  other  forms  of  training. 
Mechanisms  to  facilitate  economic  migration  should  be  based  on  the  labour  needs  of 
interested  Member  States,  as  assessed  by  them,  while  fully  respecting  the  principle  of 
Community preference for EU citizens. This includes in particular the provisions of the 2003 
and  2005  Acts  of  Accession  which  place  an  obligation  on  Member  States  that  apply 
transitional  measures  concerning  the  free  movement  of  workers  to  give  to  the  EU  citizens 
concerned  preference  over  third  country  nationals.  Member  States  participating  in  mobility 
partnerships  must  therefore  ensure  effective  implementation  of  this  principle.  In  addition, 
existing and future international agreements between the EU and the third country in question 
which  facilitate  the  temporary  movement  of  natural  persons  when  it  is  related  to  trade  in 
services or investment should also be taken into account. 

Subject  to  these  constraints,  the  preferential  aspects  of  a  mobility  partnership  on  legal 
migration could take two main forms: 

•  Mobility  partnerships  could  include  a  consolidated  offer  by  several  Member  States,  on  a 
voluntary  basis,  to  facilitate  access  to  their  labour  markets  to  the  nationals  of  the  third 
country in question. In political terms, these individual offers would be pooled in order to 
put together a consolidated EU offer to the third country in question. These national offers 
could  for  example  take  the  form  of  labour  quotas  reserved  for  the  nationals  of  the  third 
country in question, or practical instruments to help match job offers in the Member State 
in question with job seekers in the third country concerned. The offers to be pooled should 
respect existing admission procedures. 

•  The mobility partnership could also include a more favourable treatment of the nationals of 
the  country  in  question  as  far  as  the  conditions  for  admission  of  certain  categories  of 
migrants are concerned7, also taking into account the numerous optional clauses included 
in  the  relevant  Directives  as  far  as  the  areas  covered  by  Community  law  are  concerned. 
These  arrangements  should  however  be  without  prejudice  to  the  non-discrimination 
principle in Article 12 of the Treaty as well as to uniform application of Community law.  

7 

Subject to the 2003 and 2005 Acts of Accession, the EU-Turkey Association Agreement under which 
Member States shall endeavour to accord priority to Turkish workers, and the principle of Community 
preference. 

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Assistance  to  help  third  countries  develop  their  capacity  to  manage  legal 

(b) 
migration flows 

Financial  and/or  technical  assistance  in  areas  related  to  the  management  of  legal  migration 
flows  could  usefully  complement  the  other  elements  of  a  mobility  partnership.  Such 
assistance  could  be  provided  by  the  EC  –  in  particular  in  the  framework  of  the  thematic 
programme  on  migration  and  asylum  –  and/or  Member  States  participating  in  a  given 
partnership and would not necessarily be limited to the management of migratory flows to the 
EU but could also be extended to intra-regional migration flows, which are very important in 
many parts of the developing world. Where appropriate, this could take the form of twinning 
arrangements  with  similar  institutions  in  EU  Member  States  (employment  services,  job 
placement agencies, etc.). 

The provision of such forms of assistance will not be reserved exclusively for countries party 
to a mobility partnership. However, it could be made available as a matter of priority to these 
countries in the framework of the thematic programme on migration and asylum. It could in 
particular include: 

•  providing  information  on  the  labour  market  needs  of  EU  Member  States  and  on  the 

conditions for emigrating there; 

•  additional  efforts  to  support  the  mobility  of  students,  researchers,  young  professionals, 

volunteers and those involved in youth organisations from the country in question; 

•  providing  pre-departure  linguistic  or  technical  training  for  persons  with  a  concrete 

employment perspective abroad; and  

•  job-matching services, to help match vacancies in the EU with job seekers in the countries 
in question, which could benefit from direct IT links with EU systems such as the EURES 
mobility portal. In countries where institutions to manage the domestic labour market are 
not well developed, this would probably need to be complemented by the development of 
effective  cross-border  labour  intermediation  services.  Technical  assistance  to  improve 
labour market efficiency could therefore also be made available; 

•  schemes to facilitate the economic and social reintegration of returning migrants;  

•  efforts,  including  co-operation  mechanism,  to  facilitate  the  transfer  of  migrants' 

remittances. 

The  EC  has  already  acquired  certain  experience  of  providing  this  sort  of  assistance  to  third 
countries (See Annex II for an overview of past, on-going or planned projects in these areas), 
and  the  Commission  can  envisage  to  extend  it  on  a  more  systematic  basis  to  other  third 
countries. The MEDA project to support the Moroccan National Agency for Employment and 
Skills  (ANAPEC)  and  the  Migration  Information  and  Management  Centre  which  the  EC  is 
helping to set up in Mali to perform some of the above-mentioned tasks could serve as models 
for similar initiatives. 

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(c)  Measures to address the risk of brain drain and to promote circular migration or 
return migration 

Mobility partnerships could include, at the request of the third country in question, measures 
to help address the risk of brain drain. A first  response  is  that mobility partnerships will be 
tailor-made. Hence, a mobility partnership could well, by common agreement, exclude from 
preferential  treatment  migrants  from  sectors  under  stress.  They  could  also  include 
mechanisms to facilitate circular migration, which by nature can help mitigate brain drain. In 
addition, as part of a mobility partnership, the third country in question, the EC and interested 
Member States could agree incentive measures to support the return of temporary or seasonal 
migrants and foster effective circularity of migration. Such incentives would help countries of 
origin harness the skills and other forms of social capital of returnees or circular migrants and 
mitigate the impact of brain drain. Examples of the measures that could be agreed to facilitate 
circular migration are given in Chapter III. 

Improvement  and/or  easing  of  the  procedures  for  issuing  short  stay  visas  to 

(d) 
nationals of the third country 

In  the  process  of  negotiating  a  mobility  partnership  it  might  prove  appropriate  to  include 
country-specific improvements in the area of short stay visa policy, in addition to across-the-
board improvements already proposed by the Commission (cf. Annex I). Such improvements 
could be considered at two different levels: 

Better  organisation  of  the  consular  services  of  EU  Member  States  in  the  country  in 

(i) 
question 

Applicants  for  short  stay  visas  to  the  EU  in  third  countries  often  encounter  practical 
difficulties, ranging from the lack of local Member States' consulates to very long queues, or 
extremely long waits – up to several months – between requesting an appointment to lodge 
the  visa  application  and  the  appointment  itself.  In  extreme  cases,  applicants  may  need  to 
travel to a neighbouring country to lodge an application and may need to obtain a short stay 
visa from the state in which the consulate is located before they can apply for a visa for their 
planned trip. 

Several possible responses to this type of difficulties could be envisaged in the framework of 
a mobility partnership: 

•  Member States participating in the mobility partnership could give a commitment 
to  the  relevant  third  country  to  bring  about  practical  improvements  in  the 
application  procedures  such  as  longer  opening  hours,  a  reinforcement  of  human 
resources, etc.; 

•  In  parallel,  they  could  also  agree  to  improve  consular  cooperation  locally. 
Commission  Delegations  in  third  countries  party  to  a  mobility  partnership  could 
play a useful role in fostering such cooperation; 

•  Member  States  could  also  make  fuller  use  of  the  flexibility  in  the  existing 
Community acquis (amended common consular instructions), which provides for 
instance that multiple entry visa valid for a long period (up to five years) can be 
issued to bona fide persons who need to travel frequently. Member States can also 
exempt visa applicants from the visa fee in individual cases; etc. Fuller use of this 

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flexibility could be part of the offer of Member States interested in contributing to 
a given mobility partnership; 

•  Such  enhanced  cooperation  could  result  in  several  Member  States  opening  a 
common  visa  application  centre  in  a  given  third  country,  as  envisaged  in  the 
Commission  proposal  to  amend  the  common  consular  instructions  (currently 
under  examination  by  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council).  Priority  could 
even  be  given  to  setting  up  common  application  centres  –  eligible  for  financing 
under the External Border Fund –in third countries party to mobility partnerships. 

(ii) 

Visa facilitation agreements for specific categories of people 

More systematic improvements to the visa issuing procedures can also be offered in the form 
of visa facilitation agreements for specific categories of people to be negotiated between the 
EC  and  a  third  country  willing  to  engage  in  a  mobility  partnership.  The  advantage  of  such 
agreements  is  that  they  establish  clear  rights  and  obligations  for  visa  applicants.  When 
defining  a  mobility  partnership,  the  "Common  approach  on  visa  facilitation"  agreed  at 
Coreper level should be taken into account and might even need to be reviewed in the light of 
the potential offered by development of mobility partnerships. 

III.  Circular migration 

A. 

Introduction 

The  invitation  from  the  European  Council  to  explore  ways  of  facilitating  circular  migration 
comes against the backdrop of changing patterns of migration around the world and the need 
for  the  European  Union  to  offer  a  credible  alternative  to  illegal  immigration.  Circular 
migration is increasingly being recognised as a key form of migration that, if well managed, 
can help to match the international supply of and demand for labour, thereby contributing to a 
more efficient allocation of available resources and to economic growth. 

However,  circular  migration  also  poses  certain  challenges:  if  not  properly  designed  and 
managed, migration intended to be circular can easily become permanent and, thus, defeat its 
objective. 

This chapter outlines a number of issues that need to be considered by the EU and its Member 
States  in  order  to  explore  the  most  beneficial  ways  to  facilitate  circular  migration.  First,  a 
common  definition  of  the  concept  of  circular  migration  is  needed.  The  different  forms  of 
circular migration that could be most relevant to the European Union and its Member States 
also need to be identified. A distinction could be drawn between, on the one hand, putting in 
place the legislative framework that would facilitate circular migration and, on the other, the 
possibility of developing circular migration schemes. Such schemes would enable migrants 
to enter the EU to work, study or perform other activities for a set period of time. Finally, it is 
important  to  define  the  conditions  and  safeguards  that  must  be  put  in  place  to  ensure  that 
migration really is circular.  

B. 

Definition and forms of circular migration  

The  European  Union  must  be  clear  about  the  type  of  circular  migration  that  it  wishes  to 
facilitate. Circular migration can be defined as a form of migration that is managed in a way 
allowing some degree of legal mobility back and forth between two countries.  

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The two main forms of circular migration which could be most relevant in the EU context are:  

(1) Circular migration of third-country nationals settled in the EU  

This  category  of  circular  migration  gives  people  the  opportunity  to  engage  in  an  activity 
(business,  professional,  voluntary  or  other)  in  their  country  of  origin  while  retaining  their 
main residence in one of the Member States. This covers various groups, for instance: 

•  Business  persons  working  in  the  EU  and  wishing  to  start  an  activity  in  their 

country of origin (or in another third country); and  

•  Doctors,  professors  or  other  professionals  willing  to  support  their  country  of 

origin by conducting part of their professional activity there. 

(2) Circular migration of persons residing in a third country  

Circular migration could create an opportunity for persons residing in a third country to come 
to  the  EU  temporarily  for  work,  study,  training  or  a  combination  of  these,  on  the  condition 
that, at the end of the period for which they were granted entry, they must re-establish their 
main residence and their main activity in their country of origin. Circularity can be enhanced 
by giving migrants the possibility, once they have returned, to retain some form of privileged 
mobility to and from the Member States where they were formerly residing, for example in 
the form of simplified admission/re-entry procedures. 

This  category  covers  a  wide  array  of  situations,  spanning  the  whole  spectrum  of  migrants, 
including: 

•  Third-country  nationals  wishing  to  work  temporarily  in  the  EU,  for  example  in 

seasonal employment; 

•  Third-country  nationals  wishing  to  study  or  train  in  Europe  before  returning  to 

their country; 

•  Third-country  nationals  who,  after  having  completed  their  studies,  wish  to  be 
employed in the EU (for example as trainees) to acquire professional experience 
which is difficult to obtain at home, before returning; 

•  Third-country researchers wishing to carry out a research project in the EU; 

•  Third-country  nationals,  who  wish  to  take  part  in  intercultural  people-to-people 
exchanges and other activities in the field of culture, active citizenship, education 
and youth (such as, for example, training courses, seminars, events, study visits); 

•  Third-country nationals who wish to carry out an unremunerated voluntary service 

pursuing objectives of general interest in the EU. 

C. 

Putting in place an EU legislative framework that promotes circular migration  

The  existing  immigration  laws  of  a  number  of  Member  States  already  contain  rules  that 
promote  some  circularity  by  allowing  all  or  certain  categories  of  lawfully  residing  third-
country nationals to leave the country for set periods of time without losing their legal status, 
although  the  prerequisites  and  situations  covered  vary  from  one  Member  State  to  another. 

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Circular  migration  of  certain  categories  of  people  could  however  be  further  facilitated  by 
appropriate legislative harmonisation.  

Measures to foster circular migration could in particular be introduced into some of the future 
legislative instruments already announced in the Policy Plan on legal migration, in particular 
the: 

•  Proposal for a Directive on the admission of highly skilled migrants:  

–  subject  to  further  examination,  measures  to  foster  circularity  could  centre  on  further 
facilitating admission procedures for persons having already resided legally in the EU for a 
certain length of time (for highly qualified work, studies or other forms of training); 

•  Proposal for a Directive on the admission of seasonal migrants:  

–  the  main  measure  to  foster  circularity  would  be  introduction  of  a  multi-annual 
residence/work permit for seasonal migrants, allowing them to come back several years in 
a row to perform seasonal work.  

•  Proposal for a Directive on the admission of remunerated trainees:  

–  the possibility for third country nationals to come for a period of training in Europe should 
contribute  to  fostering  brain  circulation  and  to  skills  and  knowledge  transfer.  In  order  to 
enhance circularity, the proposal could envisage a possibility for former trainees of coming 
back for limited periods for further additional training where appropriate to upgrade their 
skills. 

The  Commission  will  also  reflect  further  on  whether  a  proposal  to  introduce  harmonised 
admission procedures for other categories of legal migrants could benefit circular migration. 

In addition, the Commission may in due course consider proposing adjustments to a number 
of  existing  legislative  instruments  in  order  to  promote  circular  migration,  notably  along  the 
following lines: 

•  Directive 2003/109/EC on the status of long term residents:  

–  At  present  the  Directive  stipulates  that,  as  a  rule,  long-term  resident  status  will  be 
withdrawn  in  the  event  of  an  absence  of  more  than  12  consecutive  months  from  the 
territory of the Community. This period could be extended to two or three years. 

•  Directive 2004/114/EC on the admission of third country nationals for the purposes 
of  studies,  pupil  exchanges,  unremunerated  training  or  voluntary  services  and 
Directive 2005/71/EC on the admission of researchers:  

–  One possible amendment would be to introduce multiple-entry residence permits allowing 
the  holder  to  be  absent  from  EU  territory  for  long  periods  without  forfeiting  his  or  her 
residence right8.  

8 

This would give the holder the right to reside and (where relevant) work in the EU for a set period that 
could be split into several sub-periods separated by periods of return to the country of origin. 

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–  Another possibility would be to turn the optional clauses of these Directives, which allow 
Member  States  to  provide  simplified  or  fast-track  admission  procedures  for  persons  who 
have formerly worked as researchers or studied in the EU, into a right for such persons to 
have  access  to  quick  procedures,  provided  they  subsequently  returned  to  their  home 
country at the end of their permit.  

–  Finally, it might be possible to link the two Directives by allowing easier admission as a 
researcher (with fewer conditions attached) to non-EU nationals who have previously been 
admitted as students and who, after their studies, duly returned to their country of origin. 
This  concept  might  be  extended  to  allow  students  to  apply  for  admission  as  researchers 
while still residing in the Member State where they are studying, provided the application 
is submitted before their study permit expires.  

D. 

Ensuring effective circularity of migration  

Practical conditions and safeguards will need to be included to ensure that circular migration 
meets  its  objectives  and  brings  long-term  benefits.  The  Commission  intends  to  launch  a 
debate  on  the  basis  of  this  Communication,  notably  with  Member  States  on  the  measures 
required to ensure effective circularity of migration.  

(1) 

Incentives to promote circularity  

A number of incentives could be built into EU policy instruments to promote circularity, for 
example: 

•  The prospect of future opportunities for legal mobility towards the EU: the promise of 
continued  mobility  in  exchange  for  abiding by  the  rules  and  conditions  will  significantly 
reduce the temptation to overstay. The range of options to be offered must be explored and 
is likely to vary from one category of migrants to another, the general idea being to reward 
bona-fide  migrants.  Consideration  could  be  given  to  the  incentives  mentioned  above 
(multiple  entry  residence/work  permits,  allowing  temporary  returns  to  the  home  country; 
simplified, 'fast track' admission procedures for migrants who have already resided in the 
EU for a certain length of time and returned voluntarily to their home country at the end of 
their permit; etc.). 

•  Making the reintegration of returning migrants in their home country as smooth as 
possible (in particular professionally): this could include support to the job search and/or 
setting  up  of  businesses  by  returnees  in  their  countries  of  origin;  support  to  countries  of 
origin in the recognition of the informal skills acquired by returnees throughout their stay 
abroad; a reintegration premium, tax-preferred savings accounts in migrants' home country, 
special housing programmes, support to enable returning researchers to continue a research 
project in their home country, or – in the case of students –continuation of scholarships for 
a couple of years following return. The Community and/or interested Member States could 
agree  to  support  such  measures,  notably  as  part  of  the  mobility  partnerships  outlined  in 
Chapter II. 

(2) 

Ensuring effective return 

One of the key conditions is that migrants return to their home country after their residence 
permits expiree. An inventory will be compiled of all measures that would ensure or promote 
return.  One  measure  that  could  be  considered  and  that  might  also  be  integrated  in  the 

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legislative  framework  is  the  requirement  for  a  written  commitment  by  migrants  to  return 
voluntarily  to  their  countries  of  origin  once  their  contract  expires.  In  case  migrants  stay 
illegally on  EU  territory instead  of returning voluntarily after the  expiration of their permit, 
readmission by the country of origin should take place. This would be easier to achieve where 
there are readmission arrangements in force between the EC or the Member State in question 
and the country of origin. 

(3)  Monitoring circular migration 

Circular migration schemes would need to be carefully monitored, with regard both to design 
and practical implementation  in order  to ensure both  that  they  meet  their  twin  objectives  of 
responding to the needs of labour markets in the EU and contributing to the development of 
countries of origin and that circular migration does not become permanent. A set of criteria 
should be developed for monitoring operation of such schemes. In addition, the evaluation of 
the  implementation  of  the  relevant  EC  directives  should  include  an  assessment  of  their 
contribution to circular migration. 

(4) 

Reducing the risk of brain drain  

A number of developing countries are suffering from large outflows of specific categories of 
migrants,  usually  with  medium  to  high  skills.  If  these  outflows  are  concentrated  in  areas 
crucial for development, such as education or healthcare, they can have detrimental effects on 
a country's ability to deliver essential services to its population. At the same time, the risk of 
brain  drain  is  not  universal  and  must  be  balanced  against  the  possible  positive  impact  of 
emigration on development in the countries of origin.  

To  a  certain  extent,  circular  migration  may  limit  the  long  term  risk  of  brain  drain,  however 
further measures are necessary to counter such risks9. 

Specific  actions  to  address  brain  drain  should  be  tailored  to  the  situation  in  the  country 
concerned. They could include: commitments by EU Member States not to recruit actively in 
sectors  indicated  as  being  under  stress  by  that  country;  mechanisms  to  make  it  easier  for 
returnees to the third country in question to divide their working life between two countries; 
or  support  from  the  Community  and/or  Member  States  to  help  the  partner  country  create 
sufficiently attractive professional opportunities locally, especially for the highly skilled, as an 
alternative to emigration. 

(5) 

Partnership with third countries 

Dialogue and cooperation with third countries – both in the area of migration and in related 
areas  such  as  employment,  social  policy  and  education/training  –  is  essential  to  ensure  that 
circular  migration  works  properly  and  is  mutually  beneficial.  Using  wherever  possible  the 
existing  institutional  frameworks  for  dialogue  and  cooperation,  consultations  could  be 
launched  with  a  number  of  third  countries  which  might  be  interested  in  promoting  circular 

9 

For a more detailed discussion of the debate on brain drain, see the Commission's Communication on 
Migration and Development. That Communication, as well as the Communication on an 'EU Strategy 
for Action on the Crisis in Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries' - COM(2005) 642 - 
also include some practical responses to the challenge of brain drain. One of the objectives of regularly 
updated  migration  profiles  is  to  identify  for  each  relevant  developing  countries  the  sectors  and 
occupations that are subject to brain drain. 

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migration,  possibly  as  part  of  mobility  partnerships.  In  developing  policies,  the  interests  of 
third countries need to be taken into consideration, with a special focus on the risk of brain 
drain (even though circular migration, if well managed, should in principle limit that risk) and 
possible measures to counter such risks. Third countries could be encouraged to put in place 
legal and administrative arrangements to facilitate circular migration. Partner countries should 
in particular commit themselves to improving employment and labour matching services, as 
well as vocational and language training or the ability to foresee skill needs and supplies and 
provide  information  on  labour  needs  abroad.  Partner  countries  could  also  be  supported  in 
enabling returning migrants to contribute effectively to their home societies. Partner countries 
would  also  be  requested  to  cooperate  in  tackling  irregular  migration,  trafficking  in  human 
beings  and  to  provide  guarantees  that  any  of  their  nationals  participating  in  the  circular 
migration schemes will be able to return, and be admitted, to their country of origin after their 
contract expires or is terminated. Partner countries should also seek to enhance incentives for 
return  and  reintegration,  including  through  active  measures  to  promote  productive 
employment and decent work.  

(6) 

Bilateral agreements to promote secure circular migration  

In addition to EU framework and policies, bilateral agreements between sending countries and 
interested EU Member States – in full respect of Community competences – could be a useful 
means  to  foster  and  facilitate  circular  migration.  They  can  help  match  labour  demand  and 
supply, especially in the case of partnerships between the relevant employment services and 
labour market agencies on both sides, thus permitting a quick response to the labour needs of 
the EU Member States concerned. Such agreements can make it much easier to operate some 
of the more flexible incentives for circular migration, for example scholarships for 'circular' 
students,  trainees  or  people  taking  part  in  youth  intercultural  exchanges.  Lastly,  bilateral 
agreements can also help ensure that circular migration schemes give priority to those sectors 
of  greatest  relevance  to  the  countries  of  origin  and  help  mitigate  any  possible  brain  drain. 
Connecting  the  EU  framework  with  the  bilateral  agreements  could  generate  synergies  that 
would be to the benefit of all concerned and will need to be discussed in more detail.  

IV.  Conclusion: Next steps 

The issue of facilitating legal movements of people between third countries and the EU, and 
in  particular  circular  migration,  is  important  and  complex.  If  properly  tackled,  it  could 
contribute  to  meeting  the  labour  needs  of  the  EU  and  help  countries  of  origin  optimise  the 
benefits and limit the negative impacts of emigration, while removing or mitigating many of 
the incentives for illegal migration.  

To  develop  the  concept  of  circular  migration  and  practical  application  thereof,  the 
Commission  intends,  as  a  first  step,  to  launch  a  consultation  process  on  the  basis  of  this 
Communication to collect views and experiences from other Community institutions, Member 
States  and  relevant  stakeholders.  This  consultation  process  could  last  at  least  three  months. 
Issues to be addressed could touch upon areas of EC competence and may call for adjustments 
to EC legislation on admission of certain categories of migrants. They are also likely to touch 
on  areas  of  national  competence,  for  example  as  far  as  actual  decisions  to  admit  individual 
migrants are concerned.  

In addition, the Commission also intends to have exploratory contacts with a limited number 
of countries potentially interested in mobility partnerships and ready to commit themselves 
to  cooperating  actively  with  the  EU  on  the  management  of  migration  flows,  including  by 

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fighting illegal migration in partnership with the EU, notably in the area of readmission and 
return. 

Against this background, efforts to design effective policies to foster circular migration and to 
develop mobility partnerships clearly call for increased coordination and cooperation between 
the Commission and Member States in order to ensure maximum synergy between activities 
at the two levels and to avoid them impinging on each other's competences. To gather more 
experience,  financial  support  could  be  provided  to  pilot  schemes  specifically  designed  to 
foster  circular  migration  in  sectors  or  occupations  of  interest  to  countries  of  origin  and 
Member States alike.  

The  Commission  also  intends  to  integrate  these  issues  in  the  political  dialogue  and 
cooperation  with  third  countries  –  notably  those  that  are  or  will  be  covered  by  the  Global 
Approach to migration – in the area of migration and in related areas. It also hopes that these 
orientations  will  contribute  to  the  global  debate  on  how  to  manage  international  migration 
better, and notably to discussions within the framework of the Global Forum on International 
Migration and Development. 

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ANNEX I 

THE EXISTING COMMUNITY LEGAL FRAMEWORK for movements of persons to 
the EU 

A. 

Framework for legal migration 

Since  1999,  the  EU  has  been  progressively  developing  a  common  policy  on  legal 
immigration. So far three Directives regulating admission of third country nationals have been 
adopted at Community level.  

Third  country  nationals  wishing  to  pursue  their  studies  in  one  of  the  Member  States  are 
covered by Directive 2004/114/EC. Following admission, they are given limited access to the 
labour  market  as  a  means  of  supporting  their  studies  plus  the  possibility  to  continue  their 
studies  in  another  Member  State.  Member  States  may  also  apply  this  scheme  to  persons  on 
voluntary service, unremunerated trainees and pupils. 

Finally  Directive  2005/71/EC  on  the  procedures  for  admitting  third  country  researchers  to 
the Member States provides a flexible scheme aiming at attracting this group of migrants to 
the  Community.  Third  country  researchers  admitted  to  a  Member  State  under  the  Directive 
have  the  possibility  to  teach  and  pursue  their  research  project  in  another  Member  State 
without a working permit.  

The  conditions  for  admission  set  by  these  Directives  normally  include  sufficient  resources, 
health  insurance  as  well  as  the  absence  of  threat  to  public  health,  security,  etc.  All  the 
Directives include clear rules on withdrawal of the right to stay. 

Beyond  the  admission  schemes,  third  country  nationals  staying  for  longer  periods  in  a 
Member  State  benefit  from  Directive  2003/109/EC,  which  places  an  obligation  on  Member 
States to grant long-term resident status to third country nationals who meet the conditions of 
sufficient resources and health insurance and who legally reside on their territory for at least 
five  years.  Long-term  resident  confers  a  long  list  of  important  socio-economic  rights 
including  intra-community  mobility  under  certain  conditions.  Furthermore,  long-term 
residents qualify for greater protection against expulsion.  

In addition, the EU-Turkey Association Agreement – although not granting any right to move 
to  an  EU  Member  State,  or  between  EU  Member  States,  to  take  up  employment  -  gives 
Turkish nationals free access to the labour market in the host Member State after four years of 
legal  employment.  It  also  stipulates  that  Member  States  that  decide  to  enlist  workers  other 
than Community nationals should endeavour to give priority to Turkish workers. 

Finally,  third  country  nationals  who  are  members  of  the  family  of  EU  national  migrant 
workers enjoy certain derived rights under Directive 2004/38/EC. These include the right to 
free access to employment and the right to reside with the migrant worker in the host Member 
State.  Furthermore,  after  residing  with  the  migrant  worker  for  a  continuous  period  of  five 
years they can acquire permanent resident status.  

The 2005 Policy Plan on legal migration sets out the broad lines for further development of a 
common  European  policy  on  legal  and,  in  particular,  labour  immigration,  which  is  an 
important  component  of  EU  policies  to  compensate  the  negative  effects  of  demographic 
ageing  and  meet  the  changing  needs  of  labour  markets.  In  this  context,  with  the  aim  of 

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attracting the professionals needed to sustain the EU's competitiveness, in September 2007the 
Commission will present a proposal for a directive on the conditions of entry and residence 
for  highly  skilled  workers  from  third-countries.  Three  other  proposals  aimed  at  facilitating 
circular  and  temporary  migration  will  be  put  forward  addressing  seasonal  workers  and 
remunerated  trainees  (both  in  autumn  2008),  and  intra-corporate  transferees  (2009).  At  the 
same time there is a need to provide a common secure legal status for all immigrant workers 
legally residing in the EU but not yet fulfilling the conditions for obtaining long-term resident 
status: a proposal to this end will also be presented in September 2007.  

B. 

International 
establishment  

trade  agreements 

liberalising  provision  of  services  and 

In  the  context  of  its  trade  policy  the  European  Community  has  entered  into  a  number  of 
international  agreements  which  facilitate  temporary  movement  of  natural  persons  related  to 
trade  in  services  or  investment.  Commitments  have  been  made  both  at  multilateral  level 
(WTO)  and  bilaterally  (in  the  context  of  free  trade  agreements).  One  fundamental 
characteristic  of  these  commitments  is  that  the  beneficiaries  must  not  enter  the  EU  labour 
market and must have obtained a services contract before they can apply to enter the territory 
of  EU  Member  States.  Such  commitments  relate  only  to  the  right  to  perform  a  given 
economic activity and do not cover visa and other conditions on entry, stay and work.  

C. 

Framework for short term movements: the Schengen common visa policy 

Within  the  framework  of  the  Schengen  cooperation,  as  one  of  the  flanking  measures 
necessary  in  order  to  establish  an  area  without  internal  borders  in  which  free  movement  of 
persons is ensured, a common visa policy has been developed for third country nationals -for 
stays of three months per six month period, providing in particular for mutual recognition of 
short stay visas issued on the basis of common procedures and conditions. 

At the heart of this common policy lies Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 of 15 March 
2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing 
the  external  borders  (the  "negative  list")  and  those  whose  nationals  are  exempt  from  that 
requirement (the " positive list"). The two lists are determined by a considered, case-by-case 
assessment of a variety of criteria relating, inter alia, to illegal immigration, public policy and 
security,  and  the  EU's  external  relations,  also  taking  into  consideration  the  implications  of 
regional coherence and reciprocity. 

The  Convention  implementing  the  Schengen  Agreement  of  14  June  1985  on  the  gradual 
abolition of checks at common borders (Article 8 et sq.) lays down the basic principles of the 
common  visa  policy,  including  mutual  recognition  of  short  stay  visas,  and  defines  both  the 
conditions for entry with a view to a short stay for third country nationals exempt from the 
visa  obligation,  and  for  movement  within  the  Schengen  area  by  third  country  nationals 
exempt from or subject to the visa obligation. The Common Consular Instructions (CCI) and a 
series  of  decisions  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  Schengen  and  of  the  Council  contain 
detailed rules on the conditions and procedures for issuing short stay visas. 

Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 of 29 May 1995 laid down a uniform format for short 
stay visas. 

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This common visa policy is fully implemented by the Member States and associated countries 
that are part of the Schengen area without internal frontiers. The Member States that joined 
the EU in 2004 and 2007 apply only Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 and the uniform 
format for visas. 

Certain  weakspots  in  the  current  Schengen  acquis  should  also  be  recognised:  ambiguous 
provisions,  lack  of  harmonisation  of  several  aspects,  etc.  Therefore,  in  accordance  with  the 
Hague  Programme,  the  Commission  has  presented  a  proposal  recasting  the  whole  of  the 
Schengen  acquis  on  the  conditions  and  procedures  for  issuing  visas.  Once  adopted,  this 
proposed Visa Code will bring significant improvements for all visa applicants, whatever their 
nationality,  such  as  an  obligation  to  give  reasons  for  any  refusal  of  a  visa  and  to  offer  the 
possibility of appeal, harmonisation of certain forms, a more precise definition of supporting 
documents,  etc.  The  need  to  give  visa  applicants  more  information  about  their  rights  and 
obligations is addressed in the Visa Code, building on cooperation between local consulates.  

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ANNEX II 

Examples of EC-funded projects to facilitate the management of legal migration  
flows in third countries and circular migration10 

Projects to facilitate orderly management of legal migration flows, including the 

1. 
provision of information on the possibilities and avenues for legal migration  

a. 

Main focus on migration to the EU 

Project Name 

Promoting regular migration in the Western Balkans through 
establishment of regional migrant service centres providing 
information and migration related services” (2003/HLWG/051) 

Location 

Western Balkans 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

December 2004 – June 2006 

Organisation for Migration (IOM) 

€ 815.119,64,EU grant: € 652.095,71 

B7-667 

Responsible DG 

JLS 

Objectives 

This regional project aimed to promote orderly migration flows and 
related awareness-raising through the creation of the first regional 
networks of Migration Services Centres (MSCs) in the Western 
Balkans. The inspiration of the project was the MSC of Tirana, which 
has been functioning successfully since 2003. 

All MSCs are established and public awareness campaigns are 
underway and ongoing. The website www.migrantinfonet.com is 
operational. 

Several thousand people were provided counselling and advisory 
service in the 6 MSCs (Tirana, Skopje, Prishtina, Belgrade, Zagreb 
and Sarajevo). 

Profiling and data collection were launched in the beginning of 2006, 
as well as leaflets and brochures on return and reintegration. 

10 

Some of these projects also address other issues, such as the fight against illegal migration and human 
trafficking. 

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Project Name 

Programme  de  gestion  intégral  de  l'immigration  saisonnière 
(2005/103564) 

Location 

Morocco – Spain 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

January 2006 – June 2008 

Municipality of Cartaya 

€ 1.495.000 / €1.196.000 

Funding 
Programme 

AENEAS 2004 

Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

Description 

The project will implement a system for the management of seasonal 
migration  of  Moroccan  workers  towards  a  group  of  agricultural 
municipalities  in  Spain  which  every  year  need  a  larger  quantity  of 
foreign  labour  force  for  the  strawberry  and  citrus  fruit  cultivations. 
The  objectives  are  to  develop  legal  immigration  for  temporary  jobs 
between the two regions concerned, including an overall management 
system  for  all  stages  of  the  employer-worker  relation  and  various 
pioneer services for the attention of the workers and to prevent illegal 
practices  which  encourage  clandestine  flows  and  to  guarantee  the 
return  after  the  season.  Activities  include  the  setting  in  operation  of 
two  "Seasonal  workers  Centres"  in  Benslimane  and  Cartaya,  the 
setting in operation of an Internet server for communication between 
these two centres and the creation of a NGO for the sustainability of 
the programme. 

Project Name 

An  integrated  approach  to  promoting  legal  migration  through 
national capacity building (2005/103475) 

Location 

South Caucasus 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

January 2006 – December 2007 

IOM - International Organization for Migration  

€ 971.747,- / € 777.397,- 

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Funding 
Programme 

AENEAS 2004 

Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

Description 

The project aims to prevent irregular migration, facilitate discussions 
on  conclusion  of  bilateral  readmission  agreements  based  on  the  EU 
standard, enable improved reintegration, and promote legal migration 
within  each  South  Caucasus  country  and  bilaterally  with  targeted 
receiving EU member states through dialogue and capacity building. 

Project Name 

MESURE - Migrations en Sécurité (2006/120-093) 

Location 

Tunisia - Italia 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

December 2006 – May 2009 

Associazione per la Cooperazione Transregionale Locale ed Europea 

€ 1.718.465,95 / €1.374.772,76 

Funding 
Programme 

AENEAS 2005 

Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

Description 

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the promotion of 
legal  migration,  in  line  with  the  demographic,  economic  and  social 
realities in the countries of origin and the host country and to provide 
better  information  to  the  population  on  the  advantages  of  legal 
migration  and  the  consequences  of  illegal  migration.  The  specific 
objective is to develop and improve the capacities and the possibilities 
of the final beneficiaries to migrate to Italy legally and in safety. 

MESURE  -  Migrations  en  Securité  aims  at,  in  particular,  to  support 
the  efforts  made  by  the  Tunisian  authorities  to  improve  the 
management  of  migration 
the 
flows 
identification and development of strategies in Tunisia which, on the 
one  hand,  discourage  illegal  migration  and,  on  the  other,  encourage 
legal migration from the Maghreb region. 

towards 

through 

Italy 

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Project Name 

Sharing learning for a better migration life (2006/120-199) 

Location 

Egypt - Morocco - Italy 

Implementation 
period 

December 2006 – May 2008 

Implementing 
Partner 

Direzione  Generale  dell'Immigrazione - Ministero del Lavoro  e delle 
Politiche Sociali – Repubblica Italiana 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

€ 649.166,50 / € 519.333,20 

AENEAS 2005 

Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

Description 

The overall objective of the project is to improve the system of legal 
migration  for  labour  purposes  between  Northern  African  countries  – 
Egypt and Morocco - and Italy. The project aims to reinforce existing 
labour  migration  management  capacities,  trough  the  creation  of  a 
stable  multilateral  framework,  training  activity  addressing  public 
officials as well as counselling activity on implementation structures. 

The  project  activities  will  develop  in  three  phases:  Analysis  on  the 
field  and  definition  of  a  working  plan:  the  Steering  Committee; 
Training,  ICT  counselling  and  internships;  and  dissemination  of  the 
foreign workers lists in the Italian labour market. 

Project Name 

Temporary  and  circular  labour  migration  (TCLM)  between 
Colombia  and  Spain:  a  model  for  consolidation  and  replication 
(2006/120-237) 

Location 

Spain and Colombia 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

January 2007 – December 2008 

IOM – International Organization for Migration 

€ 625.046,85 / € 500.037,48 

Funding 
Programme 

AENEAS 2005 

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Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

Description 

The project aims to provide Spain and Colombia with a consolidated, 
improved  and  replicable  model  to  effectively  regulate  temporary 
labour  migration  The  project  seeks  to  consolidate  and  replicate  a 
temporary  and  circular  labour  migration  (TCLM)  model  facilitating 
regular migration of Colombian workers to Catalonia and other parts 
of  Spain.  This  model  was  originally  initiated  by  the  Pagesos  Union 
and its foundation “Fundación Agricultores Solidaris (FAS), in 2001. 
This first program has been successful, involving 1,200 migrants from 
a  small  number  of  rural  communities  in  Colombia  and  600  Catalan 
farmers  and  cooperatives  in  Spain.  The  present  action  intends  to 
increase  the  positive  impact  of  the  present  model  and  improve 
sustainability  and  growth  by:  1)  generating  improved  knowledge  of 
the migration situations in sending and recipient countries and thus an 
improved platform for actions to ensure dignified migration processes; 
2) supporting the development of new policies and providing capacity 
building in Colombia in order to increase national capacity to regulate 
migration flows and prevent irregular migration towards Europe, and 
3) introducing new elements such as support and capacity building to 
set  up  systems  that  will  provide  Colombian  migrants  with  training 
before  departure  and  allow  them  access  to  social  and  productive 
services  upon  return,  and  thus  promoting  sustainable  development 
processes and increased generation of growth in both country of origin 
and  host  country.  The  action  will  include  activities  aimed  at 
optimising  the  use  of  remittances  as  a  driver  for  socio-economic 
development and improved living conditions. 

Project Name 

Lutte contre l'immigration illégale et la traite des êtres humains à 
travers  la  participation  des  familles  victimes  de  l'émigration 
clandestine,  des  association  organisées  de  la  société  civile  et  des 
institutions locales (2006/120-280) 

Location 

Morocco, Italy, Spain 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

March 2007 – February 2010 

Movimento Laici America Latina Onlus 

€ 1.081.779,95 / € 865.423,96 

Funding 
Programme 

AENEAS 2005 

Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

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Description 

The  projecst  links  its  intervention  above  all  to  the  civil  society  and 
institutions of the regions of Chaouia Ouardigha and Tadla Azilal, the 
main regions of origin of irregular migration towards Italy and Spain, 
based  on  three  main  components:  1.  the  creation  of  a  community 
vigilance  programme  by  families  and  the  victims  of  the  tragedy  of 
irregular migration and of a centre to listen to and provide emergency 
assistance  to  that  target  audience;  2.  the  reinforcement  of  youth 
associations  in  the  two  target  regions  through  training  and  social 
mobilisation  activities;  3.  the  creation  of  a  system  for  local 
cooperation between local administrations and employment promotion 
centres with a view to fostering economic cooperation between three 
Italian target regions (Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna), a Spanish 
region  (Andalusia)  et  the  regions  of  Chaouia  Ouardigha  and  Tadla 
Azilal. 

Project Name 

Support to the movement of people (MED/2003/5725) 

Location 

Morocco 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

January 2005 – December 2008 

Agence Nationale pour l'Emploi 

€ 7.736.000 / € 5.000.000,- 

Funding 
Programme 

MEDA 

Responsible DG 

Del Morocco 

Description 

The specific objective of this project is the institutional strengthening 
of the relevant structures of the National Agency for the Promotion of 
Employment and Skills (ANAPEC). 

The first expected results are  

1 The strengthening and specialisation of ANAPEC through: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

The creation of an international Division (DI) within 
ANAPEC and of an office in Brussels. 
The creation of 4 regional agencies specialised in 
international issues and the setting up of international 
'spaces' in a further 10 agencies. 
The recognition of ANAPEC as the official Moroccan 
partner for dealing with job offers from Europe. 

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d.  An increased role of international intermediation for 

ANAPEC. 
The carrying out of a study on the conditions for viable, 
voluntary return of Moroccans residing abroad. 
The creation of a service to support returnees. 

e. 

f. 

2. The training of potential migrants through: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

The execution of an awareness programme on legal 
migration for the population 
The creation and setting up of a basic training 
programme for potential migrants adapted to the labour 
environment in the EU. 
The creation and setting up of technical training modules 
adapted to the needs of European businesses. 
Improvements in the process of recognition of applicants' 
qualifications in the EU. 

3. Information/Documentation 

a. 

The creation of a material and virtual documentation 
centre on the avenues for legal migration towards the 
EU. 

Project Name 

Capacity building of Migration management: Ukraine (2004/096-
462 ) 

Location 

Ukraine 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

Responsible 
DG/Del 

Description 

March 2005 – December 2007 

IOM – International Organisation for Migration 

€ 4.204.672,-/ €3.781.505,- 

TACIS 

DEL Ukraine 

The project is aimed at enhancing the capacity of the Government of 
Ukraine (GoU) to manage the migration flows and control the illegal 
movement  of  migrants  to  and  through  the  territory  of  Ukraine.  The 

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project  will  achieve  this  by  addressing  needs  within  the  three  major 
migration  components.  The  project  seeks  to  develop  the  migration 
management  system  in  Ukraine  by  carrying  out  various  capacity 
building  actions,  i.e.  an  assessment  of  migration  situation,  the 
development of best practices, based upon international standards and 
conventions, the refurbishment of accommodation centres for detained 
migrants and the piloting of a voluntary return programme as well as 
th establishment of four information points for potential migrants. 

b. 

Main focus on South-South migration 

Project Name 

Management  of 
development (2002/HLWG/41) 

labour  migration  as  an 

instrument 

for 

Location 

Africa 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

March 2004 – February 2006 

ILO - International Labour Organization 

€ 1.957.011,16 / € 1.442.407,16 

HLWG – B7-667 

Responsible DG 

DG JLS 

Description 

In  the context of strengthening  relations  between the EU  and  Africa, 
this  project  implemented  by  the  International  Labour  Organization 
(ILO)  promoted  the  adoption  of  new  policy  frameworks  and 
mechanisms  for  managing  labour  migration  as  an  instrument  for 
development. It aimed to promote social dialogue and raise awareness 
among  stakeholders  regarding  regional  labour  migration  issues, 
facilitate  engagement  in  policy  debates  with  a  view  to  developing 
regional  policy  frameworks  and  enhancing  cooperation  between 
Europe  and  the  different  African  regions  concerned.  The  project 
provided  a  forum  for  engaging  regional  partners  in  core  activities 
concerning labour migrations, with the help of the ILO's experience. 

Seminars  were  organised  in  each  region,  for  example  on  capacity 
building and social dialogue, and two sets of studies - on the situation 
of labour migration and on the relevant legislations - were conducted 
in 13 countries. Advocacy campaigns followed the publication of the 
studies in the different countries. 

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Project Name 

Asian  Programme  of  the  Governance  of  Labour  Migration 
(2005/103503) 

Location 

Countries  of  the  Mekong  region  China  Korea  Japan  and  South  Asia 
countries 

Implementation 
period 

January 2006 – December 2008 

Implementing 
Partner 

ILO 

Partners 

UNIFEM 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

€ 2.447.840 / € 1.955.335 

AENEAS 2004 

Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

Description 

in 

the  Asian  region,  and 

The  project  aims  to  promote  active  dialogue  and  cooperation  for 
enhanced  gender  and  rights-based  management  of  labour  migration 
thereby  minimize 
among  countries 
exploitative  and  abusive 
treatment  of  migrant  workers.  The 
establishment  of  such  dialogue  and  cooperation  shall  concern 
Governments  and  their  social  partners,  namely  employers’  and 
regional 
workers’  organizations,  as  well  as  national  and 
advocates/intermediaries  and  civil  society  organizations.  The  project 
shall  contribute  towards  the  adoption  of  appropriate  policies  and  the 
enactment  of  enabling  laws,  the  training  of  labour  administrators, 
improving  information  systems  for  decision-making,  and  promoting 
bilateral agreements and regular consultations among the countries in 
the  region.  The  project  will  be  executed  by  the  ILO  in  collaboration 
with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). 

Project Name 

Towards sustainable partnerships for the  effective governance of 
labour  migration  in  the  Russian  Federation,  the  Caucasus  and 
Central Asia (2006/120-072) 

Location 

Russian Federation, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan 

Implementation 
period 

December 2006 – December 2009 

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Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

ILO - International Labour Organization 

€ 2.433.508 / € 1.945.105 

AENEAS 2005 

Responsible DG 

EuropeAid 

Description 

The Project offers a sustainable, participative and equitable approach 
to the governance of labour migration in the study countries. It focuses 
on key labour migration issues that have received limited attention in 
these countries to date, but that are rising quickly on political agendas 
there  and  are  essential  components  for  stability  and  sustainable  and 
equitable economic growth. There are five specific objectives: (1) To 
develop practical methods for assessing and forecasting labour market 
requirements  with  a  view  to  improving  migration  governance;  (2)  to 
promote decent work and enhance the protection of migrant workers’ 
rights; (3) to develop a system of earned regularisation and introduce 
sound  regularisation  policies  and  procedures;  (4)  to  contribute  to  the 
productive utilization of the region’s human resources by developing 
systems for the portability of qualifications and reducing bureaucratic 
obstacles to recruitment; and (5) to develop policies that enhance the 
positive impact of migration on development in origin countries. 

Project Name 

Migration information and management centre 

Location 

Mali 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

To be determined 

To be determined 

To be determined 

EDF 

Responsible DG 

Del Mali 

Description 

The proposed project is directly aimed at implementing the joint Mali- 
ECOWAS-  EC-France-  Spain  Declaration  of  February  2007,  in  the 
wake  of  the  Tripoli  EU-Africa  Ministerial  Conference  on  migration 
and  development.  During  the  high  level  meeting  in  Bamako,  "the 

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Parties  agreed  to  support  the  creation  by  le  Mali  of  the  Migration 
Information and Management Centre". 

The general objective is the definition and implementation by Mali of 
a migratory policy adapted to the regional and European policies and 
dynamics. 

The  specific  objective  is  the  setting  up  of  the  Migration  Information 
and  Management  Centre  which  will  implement  and  coordinate  the 
various elements of Mali's migration policy. 

The  expected  results  are  (i)  definition  and  implementation  of  an 
information  and  communication  strategy  on  the  legal  conditions  for 
migration  and  the  prevention  of  irregular  migration,  (ii)  putting  in 
place  a  mechanism  for  welcoming,  orientating  and  accompanying 
potential  migrants  (iii)  putting  in  place  a  service  for  welcoming, 
orientating  and  accompanying  returnees  (iv)  productively  using  the 
human, financial and technical capital lof the diaspora (v) knowledge 
and  analysis  of  the  migratory  flows  of  relevance  to  Mali  (vi) 
coordination  of  the  various  hierarchical  structures  so  that  they  can 
properly steer the above-mentioned components. 

2. 

Projects to facilitate circular migration for migrants settled in the EU 

Project Name 

Programme  to  support  entrepreneurs  of  Moroccan  origin  in 
Europe  in  setting  up  sustainable  economic  activities  in  Morocco 
(2001/HLWG/119) 

Location 

Morocco 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

December 2001- January 2004 

Stichting Intent 

€ 553.073,00 / € 448.291 

Funding 
Programme 

B7-667 - HLWG 

Responsible DG 

JLS 

Description 

This project promoted private initiatives  leading  to the  establishment 
and  development  of  small  and  medium  enterprises  by  Moroccan 
entrepreneurs living in the EU. It aimed to help migrant entrepreneurs 
to  set  up  companies  in  their  country  of  origin  by  strengthening  a 
foundation which provides a set of services to the new entrepreneurs. 

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The project enabled the creation of a more permanent infrastructure to 
assist migrant entrepreneurs wishing to start SMEs. Training materials 
and  information  documents  for  the  programme  were  developed  in 
various  languages.  The  programme  has  gained  credibility  within  the 
co-operation  with  Moroccan 
Moroccan 
organisations in the Netherlands and Belgium. 

community 

through 

Project Name 

Co-development Program in Morocco (2001/HLWG/117) 

Location 

Morocco 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

Funding 
Programme 

May 2003 - May 2007 

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) 

€ 3.810.000 / € 1.500.000 

B7-667 - HLWG 

Responsible DG 

JLS 

Description 

This project aims at helping Moroccans resident in the EU to invest in 
their  community  of  origin.  It  focuses  more  on  the  development  of 
economic  structures  than  on  cooperation  with  administrative  and 
migration  authorities.  The  project  helps  small  and  medium  sized 
enterprises  to  be  set  up  in  Morocco  and  the  development  of  rural 
tourism. 

Project Name 

The  Moroccan  migrant  in  Italy  as  development  and  innovation 
agent  in  his/her  community  of  origin:  a  pilot  project  in  the 
Northern Province of Morocco (2002/HLWG/023) 

Location 

Morocco 

Implementation 
period 

Implementing 
Partner 

Budget/EC 
contribution 

May 2003 – April 2005 

Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) 

€ 1.084.906,17 / € 867.924,94 

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Funding 
Programme 

B7-667 

Responsible DG 

JLS 

Objectives 

The  aim  of  this  COOPI  project  was  the  definition  of  a  strategy  of 
development  of  migrants’  regions  of  origin.  The  focus  was  on  the 
importance of the migrants as agents of development in their regions 
of  origin.  A  migration  pool  was  developed  thanks  to  studies  and 
research  conducted  as  well  as  a  database  and  relationships  with 
stakeholders in Italy and Morocco.  

The project’s primary outcome was a report on migratory movements 
from  Morocco  and  their  consequences  on  the  development  of  the 
country,  as  well  as  on  the  best  conditions  for  the  migrant  to  be  a 
development  agent  for  Morocco.  Guidelines  for  an  action  plan  were 
drawn from this report.  

International  conferences  on  migration  and  development  were 
the 
organised  with  a  view 
Mediterranean area. 

to  broadening 

the  audience 

in 

As  for  the  realisation  of  the  pilot  project,  training  activities  were  set 
up in Italy and in the community of origin of the migrants, with their 
participation  as  mediators  and  trainers.  The  training  focused  on 
company creation and management. 

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