European Commission

Press release

Brussels, 25 June 2012

Cecilia Malmström attends the opening of the Migration Policy Centre in Florence

Today, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, is in Florence to attend the official opening of the Migration Policy Centre. Founded with the support of the European Union in January 2012, the Migration Policy Centre (MPC) conducts research on global migration issues which are relevant to European policies.

The launch of the MPC will be accompanied by a two-day event during which policymakers, researchers and civil society representatives will discuss the role of immigration in post-crisis economies; the relationships between immigration and welfare, employment, and innovation; and the effects the Arab Spring may have had on EU policymaking on immigration.

''Migration and mobility are crucial for growth and for Europe's economic recovery. We need to reinforce our policies and adapt them to emerging challenges. In order to make the right choices we need reliable analysis, research, data as well as critical and strategic thinking. That is where the MPC has an important role to play and I am very pleased to see that the Centre will now formally start its work," said Cecilia Malmström, EU commissioner for Home Affairs in her keynote speech.

Main objectives of the centre

The MPC is directed by Professor Philippe Fargues at the European University Institute (EUI), Florence. Recognising that migration represents both an opportunity and a challenge, the Centre's mission is to help devise policy solutions which tackle migration challenges and promote well-managed migration strategies as a means of fostering welfare in origin- as well as destination countries. It will do so by producing policy-oriented research and pooling the expertise of scholars, experts, policy makers, and influential thinkers.

Work priorities of the centre

The MPC's core research programme is currently tackling two major developments which are profoundly affecting migration and the way that migration is perceived in politics and by the public: the economic crisis in Europe and the radical political changes unfolding in the Arab region.

The Centre is also working to build and maintain regional migration observatories along migratory routes to the EU. Three such observatories have already been set-up by the MPC in collaboration with a network of country-based experts:

• CARIM-South (started in 2004) covering the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa;

• CARIM-East (started in 2011) covering the Eastern neighbourhood and the European Union.

• CARIM-India (started in 2011) covering migration from India to the European Union.

Useful Links

Cecilia Malmström's website

Follow Cssr Malmström on Twitter

DG Home Affairs website

Follow DG Home Affairs on Twitter

EU Immigration portal

European University Institute www.eui.eu