The New Pact is framed as an attempt at a'carrot and stick' approach. African countries are'rewarded'(the carrot) for limiting irregular migration out of Africa to Europe, and'penalised'(the stick) when they fail to do so. The practice, to date, however, is imbalanced: the EU uses a very big stick and provides a barely visible carrot. Part of the issue lies in focusing on addressing the symptom of the issue(i.e., people migrating) over the underlying challenges wrought by the reasons people move, which include limited economic opportunities, poor governance, and dwindling safety and security. Addressing these underlying issues requires a longer­term investment that election cycles don't always align with. The New Pact was pitched as attempting to do this. The reality, however, is that it is a continuation of current practice hoping for different outcomes. These practices include shifting principles and values; opting for securitisation and externalisation 12 (examples here include the partnership with the Libyan coastguard); 13 relying on a returns framework that has proven ineffective; and conflating forced displacement with voluntary migration. As the Progressive Migration Group noted, these practices will not yield longer-term desired impact, partly because the New Pact is an'internal' European stance focused on an 'external' issue. The quick solution, thus, could be developing a negotiated strategy between Africa and Europe that reflects a common understanding of migration, mobility and development. This consultative collaboration would be between the AU and the EU and could form part of the longer-term strategy between the two blocs. This new strategy could form the basis for sustained migration cooperation between Africa and Europe that includes joint efforts to, among others: • Address inequality and unemployment; • Regularise remittances; • Improve returns and readmissions(are they voluntary?); • Uphold effective international protection mechanisms; • Find durable solutions to irregular migration that recognise that migration has no single 'root cause', but is motivated by multiple push and pull factors; • Combine humanitarian support to refugees and host communities with development plans; • Create legal labour migration pathways; • Encourage coherence on approaches to migration governance; and • Leverage migration's connection with regional integration and free trade can help stimulate development and economic growth. This long list can be further condensed to three potential entry points for greater engagement in a more constructive and collaborative manner between Africa and Europe. These are legal labour migration pathways, remittances and international protection. 14 4. Legal labour migration pathways Legal labour migration pathways are the preferred avenue for migration for both the AU 15 and the EU. 16 However, due to often resource-intensive and restrictive application requirements, many people cannot pursue this avenue. Facilitating legal migration within Africa and from Africa to Europe can address this and reduce the number of people opting for irregular migration. The Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP) – developed and implemented by the AU, the International Labour Organization, the The'irregular' distraction in the New Pact. 6 Entry points for Europe and Africa