Development and migration: a holistic policy approach is needed

Coherent approach combining development cooperation and migration management essential

Tailored support for partner countries to address the root causes of irregular movements

Cooperation key to ending smuggling and human trafficking

On Tuesday, the Development Committee adopted a report on reinforcing development cooperation to address irregular population movements and their root causes in EU partner countries.

The report, adopted on Tuesday with 16 votes in favour, 6 against and no abstentions, reaffirms the view of Committee on Development MEPs that a holistic approach combining development cooperation and migration management is essential to deliver security and solidarity both within the EU and in countries of origin and transit.

Coherent EU policy

MEPs restate the connections between migration and development cooperation, calling on the Commission and EU member states to extend their commitment to policy coherence for development to migration policies, in full respect of human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They argue EU development policy should continue to prioritise poverty eradication, inequality reduction and sustainable development, in line with the SDGs, while also focusing on long-term investments based on the needs of partner countries - including when addressing the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement.

The EU’s approach must, MEPs say, be prepared and implemented in a fully coherent manner, with a pragmatic and mutually beneficial, results-oriented approach aimed at bringing stability and economic opportunities to partner countries, including migration flow countries of origin and transit.

Tackling the root causes

MEPs pinpoint issues where the EU can provide tailored support for partner countries, such as on fragile geopolitical contexts, the impact of climate change, the role of agriculture, empowering young people, promoting and supporting sustainable economic development, and capacity-building to support education, healthcare, and democratic consolidation.

Cooperation essential to end human trafficking

MEPs say the EU should promote cooperation with partner countries on migration, and that cooperation should be based on solidarity, shared responsibility, and respect for human rights. Cooperation is also essential in the fight against human trafficking and smuggling. They argue that strict border controls without alternative legal pathways for migration shift the routes, introducing different steps in the journey and new transit countries, thus increasing the precariousness of the journey and the exposure of migrants to smuggling networks, extortion and violence.

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Speaking after the vote, rapporteur Lukas Mandl (EPP, AT), said: “The EU is the strongest soft power on earth, regarded as the most reliable partner not only in business, but also in development assistance and humanitarian aid. Economic cooperation represents the most effective form of development support, fostering sustainable growth across generations. Irregular population movements have long been a challenge for the EU and the global community. It is in the shared interest of both developing countries and the EU to prevent people from being uprooted against their will.

“When development assistance succeeds in strengthening infrastructure and standards in fields such as education and health it can create real opportunities and enable people to remain in their home countries. At the same time, Europe’s demographic changes mean that it will increasingly need to attract skilled workers from other regions of the world.”