Thirty years of Sweden in the EU: The EMN contribution to a common migration policy

This year, Sweden celebrates 30 years in the EU – three decades marked both by opportunities and challenges. This is not the only anniversary we are celebrating – EMN Sweden, based at the Swedish Migration Agency, is turning 17. Our membership of the EMN has coincided with global and humanitarian crises affecting the field of migration. In this longer article, we highlight how the work of EMN has contributed to a more evidence-based migration policy and how Swedish efforts within the network have fostered more effective decision-making.

Background

For 17 of the 30 years of Sweden’s EU membership, we have been active members of the European Migration Network (EMN). The EMN was established in 2008 by a decision of the European Council and has national contact points in the Member States (except Denmark). Today, Norway, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Montenegro, Armenia, Serbia and North Macedonia are Observer Countries. With the aim of supporting the development of the European Union’s migration policy, the EMN is tasked with providing Member States and EU institutions with up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum issues. The European Commission coordinates the work centrally.

The first decade: Immigration at the forefront of the EU agenda

In 2017, a Eurobarometer survey showed that immigration was the most important issue for EU citizens. This coincided with the major humanitarian crisis resulting from the Syrian war and other conflicts. The sharp increase in migrants required rapid adjustments to border management, asylum procedures and integration. The EMN provided unique, high-quality information and contributed with rapid and relevant insights into how Member States were adapting their policies to manage migration flows.

Here we bring together a selection of concrete initiatives and their impact.

• Reformed asylum and migration policy.The comparative EMN studies and ad hoc queries have provided valuable input to the proposal to reform the EU asylum system for a more effective common policy.
• EMN Return Expert Group (EMN REG. The issue of voluntary return has grown in importance, and in 2014 the EMN Return Expert Group was established as a platform for cooperation and the exchange of experience. In 2018, the study “The effectiveness of return in EU Member States” was published, analysing how Member States have followed the EU recommendations for the effective implementation of the Return Directive.

Focus on Sweden: Unaccompanied minors and labour market crime

Sweden has used the EMN’s ad hoc queries to quickly gather information on specific topics. National reports and European comparative data have contributed to government inquiries and proposals to parliamentary committees.

• Unaccompanied minors. Between 2008 and 2017, Sweden was the country with the second-highest number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the EU – a total of 61,300. These children accounted for 12% of the total number of asylum seekers in the country during this period. Insights into common solutions have been gathered in the EMN study “Policies, practices and data on unaccompanied minors in the EU Member States and Norway”.
• Labour market crime. In 2017, the EMN study “Illegal employment of third-country nationals in the European Union” was published, while a legislative process was initiated to give the police a clearer mandate to combat labour market crime. Work on strengthening inter-agency cooperation continues.
• Background material for parliamentary committees. Proposals were submitted regarding legislation on residence permits in cases where return cannot be enforced, as well as measures to verify the identity of foreign nationals and to combat the misuse of travel documents and residence permits.

The crisis years 2018–2022: The Covid-19 pandemic and the Temporary Protection Directive

The period was marked by global crises. The EMN responded swiftly by gathering valuable information during the Covid-19 pandemic and following the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Certain topics in EMN publications have been re-examined in follow-up studies, deepening knowledge and improving preparedness for migration flows. In total, 23 studies, 31 informs and 394 ad hoc queries have been published, and 24 EU events and 134 National Conferences have been held to deepen understanding of current migration issues. In 2022, the EMN-OECD joint inform “The use of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in migration management” External link, opens in new window. was published.

• Exchange of experience on data protection. As early as in 2020, the EMN began organising events on data protection in the field of return. This work continues.
• Strengthened cooperation with the OECD and the World Bank. In 2021, the EMN’s capacity to meet policy needs was strengthened through new partnerships.
• EU Talent Pool Pilot. In 2022, the EMN was tasked with supporting the EU Talent Pool. A working group was set up within the EMN to contribute to the launch of an online job search tool on the EURES portal (the European Job Mobility Portal) with the aim of helping people with temporary protection to find work within the EU.
• EMN Destination Europe. External link, opens in new window. An interactive educational tool has been developed to increase young people’s knowledge of current migration and integration issues.

Focus on Sweden: Climate change and future migration

In 2022, Sweden submitted topic proposals that led to the publication of two comparative EMN informs in 2023:

• EMN inform “Accompanied children’s right to be heard in international protection procedures” External link, opens in new window.
• EMN-OECD joint inform “Displacement and migration related to disasters, climate change and environmental degradation”. External link, opens in new window.

Sweden has also applied insights from the EMN study “Comparative overview of national statuses in the EU and Norway”. Findings from the study were summarised in a final report for a parliamentary inquiry aimed at preparing national legislative proposals on Sweden’s future migration policy.

2023-2025: 15th anniversary and expanded cooperation with EU agencies

The EMN working groups play a crucial role for decision-makers at both national and European levels. The strengthened cooperation with EU agencies is highlighted, as is the support from EMN Member and Observer Countries in the work on forecasting future migration flows. The EMN was cited in the new Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, and Eurostat’s migration statistics are made available through the EMN’s annually reports recurring: “Asylum and Migration Overview”.

• The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and the Temporary Protection Directive. In 2023, the EMN continued to address current information needs, gathering evidence for the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum and publishing recent studies on the application of the Temporary Protection Directive.
• EMN Glossary. The tool is continuously updated with translations into other languages and with new terms and concepts in the field of migration. There is also the EMN Glossary App, which is under a continuous development.
• New Observer Countries. In 2022, Ukraine, Montenegro and Armenia will become new Observer Countries. Serbia and North Macedonia will join in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Albania is to become an observer country shortly.

Focus on Sweden: Initiatives in a period of transition

Sweden continues its work on linking migration and development aid, while EMN Sweden contributes with insights on digital accessibility in e-services within migration. A joint translation of the EMN Glossary into Swedish is planned for 2025 in collaboration with EMN Finland.

• EMN conference during Sweden’s EU Presidency. In May 2023, EMN Sweden organised the conference “Displacement and migration related to disasters, climate change and environmental degradation”. The event brought together national and international stakeholders to discuss the impact of climate change on global migration flows.
• EMN inform “Migration and Development Cooperation”. EMN Sweden, together with Belgium, led the working group for this report. A number of roundtable discussions were organised by EMN Sweden in collaboration with the Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi) and the Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA).
• EMN inform “Bridging the digital divide – Challenges and opportunities in the use of digital services in legal migration procedures”. Sweden is leading the working group for this report, which aims to raise awareness of digital accessibility.
• EMN inform “Practices and challenges in identifying victims of torture and/or ill-treatment in the context of international and temporary protection” was produced in partnership with the Red Cross EU Office and the Swedish Red Cross. EMN Sweden organised a national conference on the topic.

EMN Sweden continues to contribute to migration work by gathering comparative European information and experiences to ensure evidence-based migration policy in a period of transition.