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Migration partnerships

Document offers insights on extensive EU cooperation with African states /// Externalisation working party discusses future migration from Central Asia /// Externalisation working party to discuss situation in Turkey, Syria and Afghanistan /// The moment is “timely” to think about climate migration, says outgoing presidency /// Mauritanian MP backing mass expulsions joins EP committee hearing

Document offers insights on extensive EU cooperation with African states

The European Commission has circulated its latest update on external migration cooperation (the previous update was 21 January 2025). It rounds up the EU’s various bilateral dialogues and cooperation with countries of origin and transit.

Notable additions to the update (pdf) include:

• North Africa
  • Relations between Morocco and Frontex are reported to be “restarting” mid-2025 after slowing down earlier in the year, and member states report “higher satisfaction” with Morocco’s 2024 cooperation on deportations, though challenges remain.
  • The EU Subcommittee on Justice and Security for Egypt – established under the EU-Egypt Association Agreement - discussed Egypt’s priorities for the operationalisation of the €200m for border and migration management foreseen under the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership until 2027, with a response from Egypt expected by the end of June.
  • In June this year, the Council extended for two years the EU Border Assistance Mission in Libya – which provides “technical advice, capacity-building activities,” including to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, which recently fired hundreds of bullets at a civil search and rescue ship.
• The Sahel
  • After cooperation with Niger ended in 2023 following the coup, the Commission reports a “significant change” in relations with the Nigerien junta, leading to deals being signed on various projects including migration.
  • The Commission reports “the new EU supported projects for Mauritania” have aided a decrease in departures towards the Canary Islands, but internal political issues with migration in the country are an “irritant” to the partnership, with the country demanding more EU resources.
  • The EU is still taking a “pragmatic” approach to defend its interests in Mali, including capacity-building for internal security forces through a CSDP project renewed for two years this January, which includes migration as a priority issue, though the Commission calls for a new strategy for Mali and wants more cooperation on “return and reintegration”.
• West Africa
  • The update notes that work on a readmission agreement with Nigeria, which had stalled multiple times since 2016, resumed in late 2023, though some member states objected to some of its content at a meeting of the Working Party on Integration, Migration and Expulsion in May 2024.
  • After being subjected to EU visa restrictions, The Gambia gave a “firm commitment” in May 2025 to continue migration cooperation, and several member states are reportedly willing to lift restrictions following a “significant” decline noted in irregular departures from the country.
• Elsewhere
  • The Commission met in late 2024 with Paris-headquartered Altaï Consulting, which has multiple African migration-related contracts with the EU, on “identifying avenues for new EU financing in the area of migration”.
  • Cameroon is making “important efforts” on migration, and is working with EU technical assistance to develop its national migration strategy.
  • After the Commission proposed visa measures against Somalia in 2024, the Somali government “reaffirmed its commitment” to migration cooperation in May 2025.
  • A Frontex liaison officer, approved in 2024, was deployed to Pakistan in May 2025.
  • Regular meetings with the Iraqi ambassador in Brussels continued in 2025 on readmission cooperation and arrangements.
  • The 10^th EU-Armenia Joint Readmission Committee will take place in Brussels on 9 October.
  • In December 2024, a working group facilitated by the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine convened to support development of Ukraine’s Integrated State Border Management Strategy for 2026-2031, with key goals including cooperation with countries of origin and transit, countering irregular migration and deportations.

Externalisation working party discusses future migration from Central Asia

At a meeting of the EMWP on 14 May, members discussed the migratory situation in Central Asia and “key challenges and opportunities” for migration cooperation there.

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) – an organisation which works closely with the Commission on border externalisation – gave a presentation on regular migration from Central Asia to the EU.

While noting that Central Asian nationals hold a tiny share of overall residence permits in the EU, it also describes “rapid growth” in the past decade, mostly driven by employment opportunities.

The presentation (pdf) concludes there is possibly a “new corridor” for migration opening as the EU and Central Asian states work more closely together. It questions whether irregular migration might increase as well. An accompanying briefing note (pdf) mentions that irregular migration was up 47% 2022 to 2023, with 8,360 people from Central Asia detected living undocumented in the EU.

With the EU’s labour needs in mind, the ICMPD invited delegates to discuss:

• What are the key challenges and opportunities regarding cooperation with Central Asian countries on migration?
• What actions should be taken to balance the challenges (including potential security concerns), while facilitating migration to meet labour market needs?
• Should migration governance cooperation between the EU and Central Asia be better integrated into broader diplomatic and economic relations?

No doubt the ICMPD will be on hand to offer its assistance, should the EU and its member states wish to develop “migration governance cooperation” with Central Asian states.

Externalisation working party to discuss situation in Turkey, Syria and Afghanistan

On 10 September (pdf) the Council’s Working Party on External Aspects of Asylum and Migration (EMWP) will meet to discuss:

• EU cooperation with Turkey in the area of migration (with Frontex attending);
• displacement and recent developments in Syria;
• the current migratory situation in Afghanistan; and
• a "human rights-based approach to migration cooperation” with presentations from the UN’s Office for the High Commissioner on Human Rights and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

The EMWP meeting of 14 May saw a presentation from the IOM (pdf) on the impact of the situation in Afghanistan on migration in neighbouring countries. The report notes widespread crackdowns on Afghans in Iran and Pakistan. It also says 40,000 undocumented Afghan migrants have been returned from Turkey since October 2023, the majority single men. Some of these people may have been detained and abused with the help of EU funds.

The IOM also gave a presentation on the migratory situation in the Western Balkans (pdf).

The moment is “timely” to think about climate migration, says outgoing presidency

A paper sent by the Polish Presidency to the EMWP on 2 July explores the impact of climate change on migration and displacement on the African continent. Ahead of November’s summit between the EU and African Union, the presidency said it would be timely to “reflect on the theme of climate migration and forced displacement within the African context with a view to deepening and identifying the potential partnership opportunities with affected African states”.

The paper (pdf) describes the EU’s current approach to climate mobility as centred on:

• addressing root causes;
• providing assistance and protection to displaced people and host communities; and
• global advocacy and action, research and data collection.

It also rounds up various EU-funded programmes in Africa as examples of Europe’s approach, including the €100m RE2CLID regional initiative, an €8m project with the IDMC on prevention, risk reduction and response, and the “ResilientRemit” project (launched in June 2025) to funnel remittances to climate resilience.

It then invites working party members to discuss the following questions:

• What are the lessons learned from the EU’s and Member States’ cooperation with African states on climate-related migration and forced displacement? Any outstanding gaps or needs?
• How can we further integrate climate-related migration and forced displacement into our migration and forced displacement programmes/projects, including through a Team Europe approach?
• In light of the current geopolitical changes, how do you assess the importance and relevance of climate related migration and forced displacement (in Africa) within the overall migration agenda?
• Do you see specific future opportunities for the EU and Member States to engage with African partners on the topic?

Mauritanian MP backing mass expulsions joins EP committee hearing

The European Parliament’s development committee, DEVE, hosted a public hearing on the “Interlinkage between Migration and Development Cooperation” on 15 July.

On one of the panels was Mauritanian MP Zine El Abidine Ould El Mounir, head of the parliamentary team on refugees, who has been outspoken on Mauritania needing more resources. He’s also described his country’s response to increased migration - which includes mass expulsion - as “humanistic and legally responsible, despite limited resources.”