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  • News | 24 Oct 2024

EU-AU Workshop on Migration Research and Collaboration

In a step towards enhancing migration research and cooperation between Europe and Africa, the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) held a joint workshop within the framework of the Continent-to-Continent Migration and Mobility Dialogue (C2CMMD).

Migration and Demography
EU-AU C2C AU-EU

Hosted by the JRC, the event brought together representatives from both EU and African side to explore the potential for collaboration on migration research.

 

The workshop touched upon relevant policy and research topics, including the impact of climate change on migration, migration governance, the need to expand legal pathways and the importance of data gathering and evidence-informed policymaking.

 

A central theme of the workshop was the need for long-term partnerships, with both EU and AU representatives advocating for greater involvement of African universities and research institutions, as well civil society organisations and local non-governmental organisations, in migration research and debate.

 

While focusing on migration trends within the African continent, and those between Africa and Europe, strengthened collaboration would have the potential to support the development of targeted policies that address migration challenges.

 

The outcomes of the workshop will feed into the upcoming C2CMMD Senior Officials’ Meeting, which will take place on 18 October 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

Moreover, for the JRC the workshop represented an important opportunity to both validate the proposed focus and open collaboration opportunities with African counterparts for the upcoming JRC flagship project on International Migration Dynamics and Drivers.

 

Attendees included the co-chairs of the C2CMMD, focal points from the EU Delegations in Addis Ababa, Bamako and Khartoum, focal points from the various Directorate-Generals of the European Commission and the African Union Commission, the African Institute for Remittances, the African Migration Observatory and the Continental Operational Centre for Combating Irregular Migration.


Participants agreed on the importance of aligning research efforts with policy needs, ensuring that both migration and cross-cutting topics such as climate change are tackled comprehensively, as well as ensuring the contextualisation of research to the local and regional levels to ensure the sustainability of solutions resulting therefrom.