News

The Prague Process Migration Observatory releases its new Policy brief "The EU Central Asia Strategy and Its Impact on Migration" authored by Yan Matusevich.

The policy brief assesses the novelties of the new EU Central Asia Strategy 2019 and the particular place for migration in it. The brief suggests that the EU can no longer afford looking at migration and mobility solely through the prism of security and stability. The time has come to adopt a more comprehensive and active approach centred on promoting migration opportunities rather than containing
migration challenges.

To preview and download the brief under this link.

On 23-24 October 2019, ICMPD organised the second International Conference on Comprehensive Border Governance in Yerevan. Following the success of its first edition held in Lebanon in 2018, this year the invitation was extended to all Prague Process states. The event thus gathered 80 state representatives and experts, including policy-makers, academic experts, various public institutions and agencies, as well as private sector representatives working in the border governance sphere.

The new July-September 2019 issue of the Prague Process Quarterly Review is now available for download in English and Russian.

After providing a snapshot from the three latest Prague Process activities, this Quarterly Review will inform you about the outcomes of the conference on “Migration and Urban Development”, which assessed the ever more important role of cities in managing immigration and integration. This issue will also address the competition for the Ukrainian labour force as well as the dangers that such rapid exodus of the working-age population might entail. Moreover, it will update you on the temporary redistribution mechanism for migrants arriving in the EU through the Mediterranean Sea, as well as on the latest visa amendments in some of the Prague Process states. Finally, this 20^th issue will introduce you to the latest Prague Process publications and propose some additional reading on top.  

To see all issues please go to the section "Quarterly Review" under News & Events.

The Trainer's Manual "What is Trafficking in Human Beings?"  is now available online.

This Manual is a result of the rich expertise of its authors, Mr Madis Vainomaa, Project Manager and anti-trafficking expert, and Ms Ivanka Hainzl, Project Officer, both working at the ICMPD’s Anti-trafficking Programme. It was produced within the Prague Process Training Academy, which aims to enhance capacity building and the implementation of advanced trainings on migration-related issues across the Prague Process states by supplying the competent migration authorities with the necessary tools for organising own trainings in-house.  The manual is developed to serve the anti-trafficking stakeholders from the participating countries of the Prague Process. Migration practitioners can use this Manual as a practical guide on how to deliver knowledge to any target audience.

You can preview and download the manual under this link.

The 5^th Ministerial Consultation of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue took place in Dubai on 16-17 October 2019. Lithuania as the current Chair of the Prague Process accepted the invitation in order to promote the Prague Process at international level and ensure its adequate positioning among other Regional Consultative Processes (RCPs). Mr. Tautvydas Tamulevicius, Vice Minister of the Interior of Lithuania, took an active part in the Special Meeting and the High-Level Panel Discussion on Interregional Cooperation, where he was one of three panellists.

During last year’s Workshop on Gathering, Analysis and Sharing of Migration Data in Skopje, several Prague Process states expressed the need to receive in-depth training on managing migration data. Their request resulted in the organisation of a tailor-made training, which took place in Vilnius on 8-10 October 2019. The 2,5-day activity gathered representatives of 16 Prague Process states and Frontex. The training addressed the entire cycle of migration data management, ranging from its collection and analysis to its dissemination, visualisation and data protection issues. Five excellent trainers – on behalf of the Joint Research Centre (European Commission), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romania, the National Institute of Statistics of Italy, IOM’s GMDAC and ICMPD – facilitated the individual sessions and various exercises.

Upon invitation of the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro, representatives of 14 states gathered in the beautiful town of Budva on 24-26 September for the Training on Labour migration. The 2.5-day training covered the whole cycle of labour migration, ranging from pre-departure and pre-decision activities to skills recognition and reintegration steps.

The second Research Coordination Meeting of the Prague Process Migration Observatory took place in Vienna on 23 of July 2019. The meeting featured the discussion on the new cycle of research papers of the Migration Observatory that will see light at the end of 2019. During the event, each expert had an opportunity to present his draft research and receive concrete feedback from the peer-researches. Such feedback round in a small group of experts allowed identifying gaps and posing important research questions, which the papers shall further address.

The biggest international training programme for young people from Central Asia, the Caucasus, Southern and Central Europe on the critical issue of migration took place in Kachreti, Georgia from 30 June to 6 July 2019. Organised by ICMPD and funded by the European Union, this summer school targeted young professionals, government employees, students and civil society representatives. Violeta Wagner, ICMPD’s Regional Portfolio Manager for Eastern Europe and Central Asia who jointly with the ICMPD Team organised the event, highlighted its importance as follows: “This international summer school has profound implications for the future management of migration and integration in the region, as these early career professionals and talented students will one day be shaping these nations’ migration policies. The calibre and commitment of these young people has been astonishing and suggests that there is a bright future for migration policy making in the region.”

The recently launched MOMENTA project is opening a call for application for journalists, bloggers, and other media content creators interested in migration topics. If you are from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia and fluent in English, you are encouraged to apply for a migration training facilitated by ICMPD and world-renowned media and migration experts! The extended deadline for application is 28 July 2019.

The training on legal, labour and other migration issues will be organised in the period from September to November 2019. All costs for participation in the training will be borne by the organisers. Eligible candidates must be available for the training cycle and the final conference in the specified period from September to December 2019 (exact dates to be communicated).

The following people are eligible to apply: 

• Junior or established (freelance) journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia
• Bloggers, radio or TV journalists, podcasters, other media creators
• Recent graduates of journalism or media studies in need of a training on migration issues

Application and selection procedure:

• Submission of complete applications in English: 28 July 2019, 17:00 CET, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Potential consultations with shortlisted candidates: 15 July – 15 August 2019
• Notifications of acceptance: until the end of August 2019
• Training: September to November 2019 (exact dates TBC)
• Conference: December 2019 (exact dates TBC)

For further details such as eligibility criteria and the application procedure, please check the application document.