Enhancing cooperation among the Prague Process states

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In the new ICMPD Commentary, Martin Hofmann, ICMPD Principal Advisor, dives into the importance of compenece checks and skills assessments on the way to labour market inclusion of Ukrainian refugees who have been granted immediate access to employmeny in the EU. This Commentary was published on 28 March 2022 and is also available in Russian and Ukrainian languages.

More than 3.8 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the start of the Russian invasion and crossed into Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and other neighbouring countries. On 3 March, European Union Member States agreed to activate the Temporary Protection Directive for the first time, offering immediate temporary residence and work permits to Ukrainian citizens.

The 3rd Prague Process Policy Talk ‘Learning from 2021: What migration dynamics and policy developments to expect in 2022?’ with Mr Jean-Louis De Brouwer, Director of the European Affairs Program, Egmont Institute, and Mr Ralph Genetzke, Director, ICMPD Brussels Mission, took place on 20 January 2022. The talk was moderated by Ms Malin Frankenhaeuser, Head of Policy, ICMPD.

Following their first Policy Talk in January 2021, the two distinguished panelists met again to check in how far their expectations for the past year came to reality. Building on the main lessons from 2021, they looked into the year ahead.

How will the COVID-19 pandemic affect migration and mobility in 2022? What policy developments in the area of asylum and migration can we expect at EU level and beyond? What are the prospects for the wider EU neighbourhood? What migration dynamics can we expect? How can the Prague Process contribute to improving migration and mobility across the region? Or is the worst yet to come?

Jean-Louis De Brouwer and Ralph Genetzke tried to address some of these questions in a discussion moderated by Malin Frankenhaeuser.

You may watch the recording in English and Russian.

The Prague Process Policy Talk ‘Labour Mobility in the EU & Beyond: Introducing the European Labour Authority’ with Ms Slavka Eley, Head of Governance and Coordination, European Labour Authority, and Mr Martin Hofmann, ICMPD Principal Advisor, took place on 27 January 2022. The talk was moderated by Mr Alexander Maleev, Project Manager, Prague Process Secretariat at ICMPD.

After an introduction of the role and mandate of the European Labour Authority, its priorities for 2021-2022 and operational activities, the two distinguished panelists jointly assessed some broader trends in European labour markets, their imbalances, sector-specific challenges and recurring problems. The focus was on the implications of all this for labour mobility within the EU and beyond. In how far could enhanced intra-EU mobility, a targeted upskilling effort and the contribution of third-country nationals contribute to tackling existing and forthcoming skills shortages? What about the situation of particular mobile groups, i.e. posted, seasonal, tele or care workers, commuting across borders? The Talk also looked at the operational aspects of ELA’s & ICMPD’s work. 

You may watch the recording in English and Russian.

In the new ICMPD Policy Insights Commentary published on 8 March 2022, Justyna Segeš Frelak and Caitlin Katsiaficas, policy analysts at ICMPD, addressed the question of current and future integration of Ukrainians fleeing the war. The Commentary is also available in Russian and Ukrainian languages.

Over 2 million people have fled across Ukraine’s borders following Russia’s invasion on 24 February. Right now, attention is understandably focused on their entry and reception. But soon the EU will need to consider how to best help these newcomers settle in. The activation of the Temporary Protection Directive gives (mainly) Ukrainians the right to access key integration-related services and employment. National administrations now face an enormous challenge to make such access a reality.

On Thursday, 3 March 2022, an Extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council meeting voted on a proposal by the European Commission to activate the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive for the first time for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. 

In the new ICMPD Policy Insights Commentary published on 2 March 2022, Martin Wagner, a senior policy adviser at ICMPD, analyzed the Temporary Protection Directive and what it means for people. The Commentary is also available in Russian and Ukrainian languages.

The EU is witnessing an influx of refugees from Ukraine on a far greater scale than in 2015-2016. What will be the status of the new arrivals; what can be done for non-Ukrainians trying to escape the conflict; and what does it mean for EU asylum policy in the medium term? These and other questions are addressed in the new ICMPD Expert Voice prepared by Hugo Brady, a senior strategic adviser at ICMPD. The Expert Voice was published on 28 Fenruary 2022. It is also available in Russian and Ukrainian languages.

ICMPD’s Migration Outlook on the situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) presents a brief analysis of migration and policy trends in the region and provides an outlook on developments and  key issues to watch out for in 2022. The paper covers developments in the twelve EECA countries according to ICMPD’s geographic division: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

This Outlook highlights the most important and relevant trends in EECA without intending to cover all migration-related developments. The main goal of this publication is, therefore, to provide expert perspectives on how migration might evolve across the region in 2022, based on ICMPD’s regional office experience. In this regard, while migration trends in the region are largely impacted by geopolitical developments and challenges, and often triggered by geopolitical tensions and conflicts in the region and its surrounding areas, this paper focuses only on migration-related outlook for 2022.

Six Background Notes were established to inform the intergovernmental consultations held in summer 2021. The consultations served the update of the Prague Process Action Plan and its six thematic areas. The fourth Ministerial Conference in October 2022 shall endorse a new Action Plan, which shall frame the Prague Process cooperation throughout 2023-2027. 

The Background Notes are available for download in the Repository:

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