Mobility Partnerships constitute a key tool of the EU’s GAMM (Global Approach to Migration and Mobility) aiming to facilitate and organise the legal mobility of Third Country Nationals, to address irregular migration under effective and humane measures and to reinforce the development outcomes of migration. Key actions in this respect are the introduction of visa facilitation agreements and readmission agreements with the partner countries. Circular and/or return migration schemes are other priorities around labour mobility that countries may wish to promote through Mobility Partnerships. This paper will critically assess the tool of Mobility Partnerships in the framework of the new EU GAMM in the light of recent data on legal migration channels between EU countries and actual and potential partner countries of the EU Neighbourhood and the effectiveness of preventive and reactive measures against irregular migration.

Before the publication of the final report presenting the key recommendations of the 16 think tanks involved in the project, 5 series of policy papers address the following key challenges: migration, EU neighbourhood, CSDP, strategic resources and economic policy.

This Policy Paper is part of the series entitled “EU migration strategy: how to respond to the unanswered demographic challenge?” which includes contributions by Ruby Gropas (Eliamep), Andreas Ette (PISM), Roderick Parkes (SWP-PISM), Alicia Sorroza and Carmen Gonzales Enriquez (Elcano), Sergio Carrera, Leonard Den Hertog and Joanna Parkin (CEPS), Hans Martens (EPC).

This project is led with the contribution of