Looking into 2024: What migration-related developments to expect

Jean-Louis De Brouwer (Director, European Affairs Program, Egmont Institute) and Ralph Genetzke (Director, ICMPD Brussels Mission) convened to assess the key lessons and migration policy developments of 2023 and shared their expectations for 2024.   

Amidst conflicts and crises across the EU’s neighbourhood, the European Council’s historic decision on the EU enlargement of December 2023 was assessed from a migration policy perspective. The Policy Talk highlighted that migration is set to play a key role in the upcoming mid-2024 EU elections, which will largely determine the place of migration within the next strategic agenda for 2024-2029. With the recent political endorsement of the EU Pact on Asylum and Migration, the panel also delved into its future role and prospects. The Policy Talk further explored topics such as the forced displacement of Ukrainians, recent attempts by EU Member States to externalize asylum procedures, and the need to boost legal migration channels to address ever increasing labour shortages.