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24 October 2011
23 October 2011
I. EU-ECOWAS EPAs: A New Tool to Transform Migration Dynamics?
.
This research assesses possibly new frameworks to
tackle the prevalence of illegal migration between Europe and West Africa on
the inter-regional policy level. The key question discussed is ‘To what extent does the EU-ECOWAS liaison
on the inter-regional level have the potential to mitigate the perceived challenges
of illegal migration between the two regions.’ Based on a rich body of qualitative data derived from regional and
national actors, the research breaks fresh grounds. It suggests that due to a
deadlock within the political migration domain, alternative policy tools must
be sought.
The peculiar characteristics of mostly
labor market driven migration between the regions propose that migration
dynamics can be transformed by means of economic policy tools. The EU and the
ECOWAS hold unprecedentedly strong mandates for concluding inter-regional trade
agreements, the EPAs. This endows the two regional actors with exceptional potential to
introduce policy frameworks that, beside others, mitigate the perceived migration
challenges.
This
critical analysis gives valuable insights to the widely unexplored level of inter-regional
cooperation in the migration policy domain. Beyond that, this explorative,
process and interest oriented qualitative research has been able to look beyond
the prevailing academic debates and policy proposals. The latter narrowly focus
on the knowingly limited migration policies as the only possible solution. This
research shows that the various societal interests and governments’ limitations
in policy options have to be taken serious. But it also shows that workable
policy solutions can be sought in other policy domains, like the economic one. >>> read Part II. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
*picture original info-sourcing.com
II. On the Move between Europe & West Africa
.
“Migration as
such is abstract. Migration follows economic development. Migration follows
globalization, both within and between the region and other parts of the world”
(EU Commission, DG Home staff, Brussels)..
In the past decades Europe encountered
socio-economic changes that lastingly affected societal and economic
structures. European societies experienced a decline and an aging of their
population. This diluted the capacities of welfare state structures and
compromised the labor supply to European economies. Mismatches of sectoral
demand and supply led to the paradoxical situation of rising unemployment rates
with a concurrent increase of labor needs. Southern European states were
additionally confronted with the consequences of the EU integration processes,
since their labor forces moved to the now easily accessible and more attractive
North European markets. In order to sustain the economic equilibrium, Europe
had to ‘import’ labor forces.
Beside others, these needs were
covered by a highly mobile West African labor force. As a result of the economic and political
crisis, which the West African region experienced from the mid 1970s onwards, a
share of this mobile labor force had oriented towards the thriving Maghrebi
labor markets. By the end of the 1990s they increasingly extended towards the
needy European labor markets.
However, European popular fears on
access to welfare privileges and moral considerations of civil society on a possible
West African ‘brain drain’ continuously discouraged European governments to
setup a political framework that would channel the supply of labor migrants to
the respective sources of labor demand. While the wider popular called for the
control of what was widely perceived as refugee movements, civil society called
for an extension of European asylum systems.
Decision
makers confined themselves to the rather curious ‘no policy tools’. This
resulted in growing European informal economies and labor markets, which
attracted and absorbed illegal West African migrants. Against this background,
it is concluded that illegal migration is not the actual challenge. Rather, the
challenge is the generation of policy initiatives that respond to the eligible
but at times opposing needs of societal groups in the face of the underlying
socio-economic changes in Europe. Illegal migration is found to be a
consequence of such unmet challenges and hence has to be addressed via these. >>> read Part III. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
III. Going Inter-Regional: Futile Migration Policy Strategies
“Ultimately ECOWAS, like ourselves is an organization,
which the member states (…) have decided to put together. So [it] depends on
the resources, the commitment and the political will that member states put
into the common project” (EU, EEAS staff, Brussels).
.
.
The pressure to act on the prevalence of illegal
migrants from West Africa to Europe lead policy makers to locate migration
policy initiatives to the inter-regional level to the EU and the ECOWAS. However,
the enquiry into this recent development reveals that regional actors have been
heavily restricted in initiating migration policies. National member states
passed on the hostile attitudes of voters on labor migration policies and
granted regional actors only a highly limited mandate. Like this, the regional
actors, too, were prevented to initiate a political migration framework in
response to the socio-economic changes.
The
inter-regional cooperation on migration evaded to the area of migration &
development. Interventions were located within the West African region, aiming
at enhancing intra-regional migration. However, such migration policy initiatives
experienced limitations of a similar nature. West African governments showed
reluctance with implementing the free movement of people on the intra-regional
level in the face of their tensed national labor markets. In this regard, the inter-regional
initiatives, which targeted intra-regional migration on the political level
showed as little potential to mitigate the prevailing socio-economic challenges
and illegal migration movements as did the national political initiatives. >>> read Part IV. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
IV. Tales of Labor Demands & Trade/Investment Interests
.
“If we are still together to work, it means that on our side we know what we gain from this kind of partnership and I am sure that on their side they know very much what they are gaining from us” (ECOWAS, Department of External Relations staff, Abuja).
.
“If we are still together to work, it means that on our side we know what we gain from this kind of partnership and I am sure that on their side they know very much what they are gaining from us” (ECOWAS, Department of External Relations staff, Abuja).
.
Up to here, the findings were rather
disillusioning. Nevertheless, it was at this point, where the advantages of the
qualitative research came into play. Interviews with organizational staff
highlighted a number of key stakes and interests, which fundamentally changed
the setting.
·
West African voices reinforced that, unlike
prevailing scenarios of crisis and conflict in European minds might suggest,
the mobility of West Africans was mostly income oriented. African migrants
locate their principle centre of life in their countries of origin, but saw
themselves compelled to use citizenship as a tool to secure access to labor
markets and therewith income. In this respect, a mechanism that would grant
consecutive legal access to the needy sections of European labor market and incorporate
adequate transfer mechanisms for welfare contributions would forestall
questions of citizenship and membership to welfare communities.
·
Following the contributions of the ECOWAS staff,
the central interest of inter-regional cooperation pertained to a strengthening
of economic relations. They called for technology transfer, investment into
processing and production industries and eventually trade in processed goods.
These were considered a direct means to the end of socio-economic prosperity of
the region. As the staff highlighted, this would indirectly increase regional employment
opportunities and decrease the incentives of illegally migration to Europe.
Also, it would indirectly increase the incentives for West African governments
to implement the Free Movement Protocols.
·
The contributions of European voices highlighted
that beyond the lip service of European governments paid vis-à-vis their
electorate, they fostered interests in a targeted labor migration system in
order to sustain the European economic equilibrium. This should, beside others,
address the young and increasingly educated West African population. Such a
system would respond to sectors that were under strain due to a mere lack or a
mismatch of labor forces. It would thereby forestall a competition with
national/regional labor forces. Also, it could circumvent issues of brain drain
by factoring in West African labor needs. Eventually, this would increase the
labor opportunities to legal migrants and thereby decrease incentives for informal
European labor markets, economies and illegal migration. Eventually, it would
reduce the incentives of migrants to use asylum systems as a means to access
European formal and informal labor markets and relieve asylum systems to
protect the rights of those in need.
·
The political and economic reforms, which
numerous West African governments underwent in the past decades, aiming at
making trade and investment in and with the region more attractive, are still
widely unknown. Nevertheless, European voices highlighted that the region is
considered to be of increasing relevance to Europe in regard of investment and
trade relations. This would potentially boost West African economies and
employment opportunities. >>> read Part V. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
V. EPAs: A Framework to Transform Europe-West Africa Migration Dynamics
“There is potential in EU-ECOWAS
cooperation in the increasing exchange of trade. Not only trade of goods that
are processed in West Africa but also trade of services” (ECOWAS,
Trade Dept. staff, Abuja).
In light of these considerations, the potential of
inter-regional cooperation has to be considered from a new angle. The
qualitative data suggests that the underlying socio-economic challenges could
potentially be addressed through cooperation in the economic domain. In this
domain, the EU and the ECOWAS have been holding comprehensive mandates, which
endow them with the right to negotiate trade agreements with each other, on
behalf of their member states. With this, in their attempts to mitigate the
prevailing challenges, the regional actors move from being a ‘supplementary’
instance for policy initiative, as in the case of the political migration
domain, to the primary authority of policy initiative.
A
tentative analysis of the ongoing trade negotiations between the EU and the ECOWAS
(Economic Partnership Agreements –EPAs) reveals that trade tools have the
potential to serve as a framework to facilitate the interests that were
articulated by regional and national actors. The trade in service dimension has
a framework at its disposal, which, despite the national sovereignties, could
facilitate targeted, sector oriented labor migration in compliance with the
needs of European and West African economies. Further, the dimension of trade
in goods harbors the potential to set up a framework for trade and investment
that fosters the socio-economic situation of the ECOWAS. It could potentially
be used to stimulate the trade between the regions and especially investment into
the West African region beyond the currently prevailing development dimension. >>> read Part VI. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
VI. On Inter-Regional Potentials & Policy Recommendations
.
“Migration is very emotional, having to do with ideas of citizenship and how society is organized. I guess Member states do not mind if a bunch of technically minded nerds do tariffs for them” (EU Commission, DG Trade staff, Brussels).
.
“Migration is very emotional, having to do with ideas of citizenship and how society is organized. I guess Member states do not mind if a bunch of technically minded nerds do tariffs for them” (EU Commission, DG Trade staff, Brussels).
.
From this, it is concluded that the inter-regional
cooperation between the EU and the ECOWAS bares huge potential to mitigate the
underlying socio-economic challenges that both regions experience. This in turn
could indirectly transform the inter-regional migration dynamics. This research
reveals that the potential of inter-regional cooperation to change the
prevailing migration patterns is not to be sought with political migration
policy frameworks. Rather, as a result of the particular economic character of
inter-regional migration, and the strong trade mandate of the two regional
bodies, potential lays in the area of economic policies.
The ongoing trade negotiations
between the regions still have to overtake numerous hurdles in order to set up
the framework, which could guide the future trade relations between the
regions. From this, a number of policy recommendations can be derived:
·
Up to date, the EU predominantly used the trade
in service regulative framework, in particular to enable the strong European
skilled service sector access to foreign markets. EU policy makers should
assess how to possibly incorporate the service dimension under Mode 4 (the
movement of natural persons), in the EPAs with the ECOWAS, as a tool to respond
to sector specific labor demands of European labor markets (e.g. construction).
Here, they should incorporate the peculiar labor needs of West African
societies.
·
The major focus of the EPAs has been allocated
to the development dimension of a safe and stable investment climate. While
this is a pivotal precondition to sound trade relations, the unproportional
focus on the development dimension left aside the actual initiation of trade,
investment and technology transfer. EU policy makers should use the EPA
framework as a means to stimulate trade and investment with especially the
small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, which is the heart of both, the
European and the West African economies.
·
European national governments play a central
role in this. National economic policies should incorporate the communication
of the trade and investment opportunities within the West African region, especially
towards the European SME sector. It is
this sector which is flexible and can respond within a relatively short period
of time to investment opportunities in a widely unknown market such as the West
African market.
·
The EPAs have often been communicated as an EU
tool to exploit its respective trade partners. Certain asymmetric negotiation dynamics may potentially favor unequal
agreements. However, ECOWAS policy makers should proactively use the EPAs as an
opportunity to promote their own interests as in the immense potential of the
West African economy, in particular its dominating SME sector, in order to
attract international investors and stimulate trade.
·
Both
the ECOWAS and West African governments have to comprehend that the limited
space at hand of the EU and European governments on migration policies is
mainly electoral. Therefore, ECOWAS policy makers should use the trade in
service dimension as an opportunity. They should assess the potential that the
provisions under Mode 4 have with regard to playing out their comparative
advantage of abundant, cheap and increasingly well educated labor forces.
·
West
African governments play a pivotal role in this. With the implementation of
policy frameworks on trade, investment and technology transfer, they should keep
in focus that these are not ends in themselves but rather a means to bring
about socio-economic prosperity to the entirety of the West African society.
>>> read Part I. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
>>> read Part I. of I./II./III./IV./V./VI. <<<
*picture original ehow.com
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