Migration Policy Institute Europe launches in Brussels

EU Commissioner Malmström, former UK Home Secretary Clarke Participate in Discussion on Immigration and European Identity

BRUSSELS — Migration Policy Institute Europe, a non-profit, independent research institute that aims to provide a better understanding of migration in Europe and thus promote effective policymaking, made its official launch today.

To celebrate the launch, MPI Europe hosted a panel discussion in Brussels, “Rethinking European Identity in the Age of Immigration,” featuring EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström and former UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

MPI Europe provides authoritative research and practical policy design to governmental and non-governmental stakeholders who seek more effective management of immigration, immigrant integration and asylum systems, as well as better outcomes for newcomers, families of immigrant background and receiving communities throughout Europe. MPI Europe also provides a forum for the exchange of information on migration and immigrant integration practices within the European Union and Europe more generally.

MPI Europe, based in Brussels, builds upon the work that the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) has done for years in Europe. Through its Transatlantic Council on Migration and other initiatives, MPI has advised a number of EU presidencies and performed significant research and policy design on European and transatlantic topics. These range from the effects of the global economic crisis on migrant and native-born workforces to current and future demographic trends, citizenship policy and the current debates over national identity.

“The Migration Policy Institute, having advised numerous EU presidencies and European governments on immigration and immigrant integration policy, has had a longstanding presence and impact in Europe. The Institute has now formalized that presence with the creation of an independent research organization – Migration Policy Institute Europe,” said Giuliano Amato, a former Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Italy who remains deeply involved in migration matters. “MPI Europe has its own staff in Brussels yet can also leverage MPI’s U.S. and international resources – a welcome development for anybody who takes seriously the proposition that the challenges and opportunities posed by international migration can be effectively managed for the benefit of society at a large, as well as for immigrants and their families.”

Former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs Antonio Vitorino, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal and Member of the European Parliament, added: “Policymakers in Brussels and other European capitals as well as others who are involved in serious thinking and action on migration and immigrant integration policy will benefit greatly from the creation of Migration Policy Institute Europe. This new research institute, which draws on a strong bench of exceptional thinkers and researchers on both sides of the Atlantic, has a unique vantage point because of its ability to pair deep research expertise with true knowledge of the policymaking world and political realities.”

MPI Europe’s creation will allow a more significant research presence in the European space, said MPI Europe President Demetrios Papademetriou, who is also President of MPI. Last year, MPI partnered with the European University Institute to accomplish a comparative research project, funded by the European Union, that examined ways in which European and U.S. immigration systems can be substantially improved.

“My colleagues and I look forward to playing a deeper role in the European policy discussion over migration. As the world becomes ever more interconnected and with global populations increasingly mobile, smart policymakers will recognize that migration and human capital development policies can be carefully structured in such a way as to increase competitiveness and benefit the overall society,” Papademetriou said.

For more on MPI Europe, visit www.MPIEurope.org.

###