“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. <<<