A Nordic seminar on linking migration and development cooperation

The seminar “Linking migration and Development Cooperation – Experiences from Europe and Implications for Sweden” was co-organised by the The Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA), the Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi) and EMN Sweden. It was held on 29 April in Stockholm. The new EBA anthology “Linking Migration and Development: European Experiences and Policy Lessons for Sweden” was presented to around 200 participants at the Swedish Medical Association. This anthology examines how Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Germany have designed and implemented similar reforms in the field of development cooperation. The report is a follow-up to the EMN inform 2024 “Migration and development cooperation” .

“The link between development cooperation and migration is high on the EU agenda, not least in connection with the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and its elements that concern cooperation with third countries. EMN wishes to contribute to placing the Swedish perspective into a broader European context through the use of our network.”, said Cecilia Kotsakidis from EMN Sweden in her opening remarks.

Introduction to the anthology by editors Iris Luthman and Henrik Malm Lindberg, Delmi

There is a clear policy trend in Sweden that strengthens the link between development and cooperation, with its focus on return and reintegration. This trend is also evident at EU level, not least through the external dimension and the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. However, there is limited knowledge of how this works in practice.

The anthology “Linking Migration and Development: European Experiences and Policy Lessons for Sweden” analyses how this linkage has been designed and implemented in practice in other donor countries – Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Norway. The question is how these countries have designed and implemented similar reforms based on four dimensions: integration, governance, development principles and results. For this linkage to be effective, it is important to invest in coordination, transparency, monitoring and evaluation, as well as identifying realistic expectations regarding results.

The Nordic perspective

The Norwegian example: Catherine Talleraas, Senior Researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway

There has been a shift in Norway since the late 2000s – aid is increasingly used as a tool to facilitate safe and regulated migration, not least in relation to return and confidence-building with partner countries.

The institutional landscape has evolved, shifting from an inter-ministerial working group (2005) to a dedicated migration unit within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 2022. Funds have been allocated within the MFA budget for a ‘Solidarity Fund’. A special post has been established within the MFA Section for Humanitarian Affairs to oversee the use of this fund: the Special Representative for Refugees, Displaced Persons and Host Communities (in Norwegian: Spesialrepresentant for flyktinger, fordrevne og vertsamfunn).

Aid issues cut across various policy areas, and concrete outcomes depend, to a greater extent, on the return agenda, diplomatic priorities and institutional cooperation.

The Danish example: Jesper Bjarnesen, Senior Researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute

Denmark’s relationship with EU migration policy is somewhat different to that of other Member States due to its EU opt-out on justice matters.

The chapter “Solidarity at a distance: Denmark’s migration-development nexus in policy and practice” describes the Danish experience, which lies on the borderline between a strict migration policy and a generous aid context.

Denmark applies a “whole-of-government approach”. This is achieved through, among other measures, a task force (2020) i.e. a group comprising representatives of various ministries that coordinates work relating to domestic and foreign affairs. Despite good intentions, the root causes of migration are difficult to address solely through aid and diplomatic efforts aimed at sustainable resettlement.

Panel discussion

The seminar concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Mats Hårsmar, Policy Secretary at the EBA. The panel included Anders Hall, State Secretary to the Swedish Minister for Migration Johan Forssell; Sofia Östmark, Head of the Global Department at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); Hugo Rickberg, Programme Manager for International Development Cooperation at the Swedish Migration Agency and Christina Jespersen, Consultant at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The issues surrounding the link between migration and development were discussed from various perspectives and based on different mandates.

“Cooperation and the time aspect are important. Migration is happening here and now, and more flexible measures are necessary. With the help of aid and based on the Swedish Migration Agency mandate, we can develop relationships with priority third countries,” says Hugo Rickberg of the Swedish Migration Agency.

Some contributions from the panel:

• Strengthened inter-agency cooperation and coherence. Despite differing mandates on these issues, it is important to identify synergies and mutual understanding in order to impact national migration management.
• Aid as part of overall migration objectives. Aid is one of several components for achieving concrete national migration objectives and for building good relations with other countries.
• “A whole-of-government approach”. This is a way of working on initiatives to address conflicting objectives. It requires ongoing coordination at multiple levels and mechanisms when prioritising and identifying “win-win” elements.
• Coordination with other donor countries. Coordination, joint needs assessments and clear language are needed when evaluating initiatives and their impact.
• Sustainable relationship-building outcomes. Identification of concrete joint objectives that are in line with overarching OECD-DAC rules.
  

Brussels launch

The next event planned following the launch in Stockholm is on 4 June 2026. The anthology will be presented at Belgium’s Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels, attended by the German and Dutch authors, representatives of the European Commission, the Belgian equivalent of Sida - Enabel, the OECD and other interested parties.