PROGRESSIVE MIGRATION GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS TO EUROPEAN AND AFRICAN LAWMAKERS Updated November 2024 The Progressive Migration Group(PMG), a network of African and European migration experts established by FEPS and the EU Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, examines the complex relations between the European Union and African countries of origin and transit with the aim of proposing innovative policy recommendations for progressive forces at EU and national level in the field of migration management and related policy areas. According to the PMG, the EU’s current migration policy and its relations with Africa in the field of migration are overly focused on reducing irregular migration. Reducing irregular migration and the associated risks for migrants is undoubtedly a legitimate and urgent goal of European and African policies, but it is neither effective nor sustainable, and it must go hand in hand with the creation of opportunities for legal migration. The PMG believes that this approach, which also threatens to dominate the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, is insufficient to address the complex challenges of African-European migration. The PMG proposes a broader approach that places migration cooperation within the broader political context of African-European relations, which are increasingly characterised by geopolitical power shifts. Development and human rights-oriented migration cooperation between Africa and Europe is more urgent than ever. The PMG therefore recommends that three components be strengthened in future cooperation:(1) greater awareness of the development benefits of migration,(2) a migrant-centred expansion of legal migration pathways, and(3) a human rights-based approach to the ongoing EU migration reform. A DEVELOPMENT-ORIENTED APPROACH TO MIGRATION Migration is a major driver of development and prosperity. According to the World Bank, international remittances to low­and middle-income countries worldwide reached$656 billion in 2023 – more than direct foreign investment and far more than official development assistance to those countries. However, remittances are only one of the development benefits that migration brings. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also recognises migration as a powerful driver of sustainable development because migration benefits not only migrants and host countries, but also their communities – through social, technological and skills transfers, as well as through investment and cultural diversity. The Global Com­pact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration aligns with the 2030 Agenda by emphasising the multi-dimensional nature of migration and the need for a comprehensive approach to it that involves all policy areas. In practice, however, the deve­lopment potential of migration is insufficiently exploited. This is also true of European migration policy, which focuses primarily on preventing irregular migration. The Progressive Migration Group finds no contradiction between managing migration and promoting development through migration, as they can be combined to meet the people’s interests in both Europe and Africa. The Progressive Migration Group therefore calls for a development-oriented and rights-based approach to EU migration policy. This will foster sustainable development, reduce poverty and support families in coun­tries of origin, recognising the crucial role migrants and diaspora communities play in the economic, cultural and social development of European societies by contributing to their diversity, resilience and prosperity.