Promising Practices in Migration Policy

Promising Practices in Migration Policy is a publication series offering EU-wide analyses of migration policies that work. Rather than focusing solely on gaps and deficits, each edition spotlights concrete, replicable promising practices in migration policy from EU Member States — providing policymakers and practitioners with hands-on evidence and working examples to strengthen migration governance across Europe.

Find the individual papers below.

The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum speeds up the expansion of immigration detention across Europe. This policy paper advocates for community-centred alternatives to detention (ATD) as a more humane, less costly, and equally, if not more, effective alternative to achieving migration governance outcomes.

The authors from International Detention Coalition (IDC) draw on global and European evidence, including pilot programmes in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland and Belgium, to demonstrate that ATD work — and can be scaled.

The Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion ends in 2027, yet a new framework is nowhere in sight. This is particularly concerning when it comes to labour migration. Quick access to essential services and support networks is key to successful integration. 

When issues start piling up, they become costlier over time, both for individuals and public services. In addition, the lack of joint coordination often leads to duplication of work among service providers, gaps in support and unnecessary pressure on already stretched services.

In this policy brief, Dirk Gebhardt and Bella Kosmala look at one concrete answer to that challenge: One-Stop-Shops providing coordinated integration support from day one. 

This brief is also available in German here.

Private labour intermediaries — recruitment agencies, temporary work agencies and informal brokers — play a growing role in connecting migrant workers to jobs in the EU, especially where labour migration pathways are restrictive and administrative procedures are complex. 

This reliance carries serious risks: excessive fees, deceitful changes to employment contracts, document fraud, debt bondage and labour exploitation, and challenges to hold anyone accountable for such rights violations. EU law addresses some risks indirectly but offers no comprehensive framework. 

In this policy brief, Letizia Palumbo (PICUM), looks at a number of promising national practices that help ensure fair recruitment and points out six concrete recommendations to regulate private labour intermediaries effectively and streamlined.