EMN Sweden and EMN Belgium joint EU seminar on migration and development cooperation

EMN Sweden and EMN Belgium together with the Swedish Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA) and the Swedish Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi), co-hosted an EU launch seminar “Linking Migration and Development Cooperation: European Experiences and Policy Reflections” at the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU in Brussels on 4 June 2026. The EU launch seminar follows a Nordic seminar in Stockholm in April 2026.

The seminar brought together a broad audience of around 80 participants from public authorities, the European Commission, international organisations, academia, think tanks, civil society, diaspora organisations, embassies and permanent representations.

The seminar highlighted the value of bringing together research, policy, and practice to foster evidence-based and realistic discussions on the migration–development nexus. Participants explored how national experiences can inform broader European debates, covering topics ranging from public-private partnerships and diaspora investments to Skills Mobility Partnerships, migration conditionality, and the role of the private sector.

The event marked the EU launch of the anthology "Linking Migration and Development: European Experiences and Policy Lessons for Sweden". Building on the 2024 EMN inform “Migration and development cooperation”, outlined by EMN Sweden and EMN Belgium together with 20 EMN Member Countries and Serbia, the anthology examines how Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany have approached the links between migration policy and development cooperation over the past decade.The anthology was introduced by its editors Iris Luthman and Henrik Malm Lindberg from Delmi, together with Mats Hårsmar from EBA.

European perspective: Migration and development

Bogdana Sybikowska from the Directorate-General Migration & Home Affairs (DG HOME), European Commission and Samuel Simon Pulido from the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), both from the European Commission, presented EU priorities for external migration engagement in the context of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Country perspectives from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium illustrated how different national approaches have been developed in practice.

Presentations were delivered by:

• Arjen Leerkes, Professor of Migration, Securitisation and Social Cohesion at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance and co-author of the Dutch chapter.
• Anna Knoll, Head of the Migration and Mobility Team at the European Centre for Development Policy Management and author of the German chapter.
• Raffaella Greco Tonegutti, Coordinator Human Mobility, the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel) presented the Belgian perspective on development cooperation.

The panel discussion

During the afternoon, a policy-oriented discussion, moderated by Hanne Beirens, Visiting Professor at the College of Europe, took place. The panelists have explored how European countries are tackling these linkage. A follow-up discussion and exchanges with participants further enriched the debate.

The panel discussion featured:

• Melissa Siegel, Professor of Migration Studies and Head of Migration Studies at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance and co-author of the Dutch chapter in the anthology,
• Jonathan Chaloff, Senior Policy Analyst, International Migration Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),
• Jason Gagnon, Senior Advisor; Research Affiliate, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Participants stressed the need to better align migration systems with development cooperation through stronger operational frameworks and long-term partnerships. Discussions highlighted the importance of relational capital, the role of public–private partnerships, and the need to scale up legal pathways and mobility programmes to achieve meaningful impact.

In his closing remarks, Hugo Rickberg, senior expert in migration and development cooperation at the Swedish Migration Agency, thanked the participants, underscoring the importance of the topic. He expressed hope that today’s discussions would inspire continued reflection, research, and knowledge exchange, especially in the light of the implementation of the EU Pact on asylum and migration.