Progressive Migration Group: Recommendations to European and African Lawmakers

Addressing migration comprehensively

Migration is a major driver of development and prosperity. According to the World Bank, international remittances to low- and middle-income countries worldwide reached $656 billion in 2023 – more than direct foreign investment and far more than official development assistance to those countries. However, remittances are only one of the development benefits that migration brings.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also recognises migration as a powerful driver of sustainable development because migration benefits not only migrants and host countries, but also their communities – through social, technological and skills transfers, as well as through investment and cultural diversity. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration aligns with the 2030 Agenda by emphasising the multi-dimensional nature of migration and the need for a comprehensive approach to it that involves all policy areas.

In practice, however, the development potential of migration is insufficiently exploited. This is also true of European migration policy, which focuses primarily on preventing irregular migration.

Shifting the focus

The Progressive Migration Group finds no contradiction between managing migration and promoting development through migration, as they can be combined to meet the people’s interests in both Europe and Africa.

Therefore, the group has formulated recommendations to European and African lawmakers to foster a more development-oriented and rights-based framework, highlighting migration’s crucial role in driving global growth and reducing poverty on both continents. The paper addresses economic issues as well as communication around migration, cultural benefits of migration, building resilience in the face of climate change, fair working conditions and stronger protection of migrants’ rights and the proper involvement of African partners in migration policy development.