The Politics of EU Migration-Development Aid and Transit States

• In Event: International Cooperation on Migration

Abstract

This paper examines the politics of development aid and migration policy in the EU neighborhood. Over the last decade, the EU has expanded its influence in the region through international cooperation like the EU Neighborhood Policy, Migration Partnerships, the EU-Africa Partnership, and ad-hoc migration deals. Despite the billions spent, the impact of migration-development aid is still unclear. In this paper, I ask how the EU uses development aid to influence migration policies in transit states. Specifically, what is the impact of new aid packages on migration policy and how do transit states use this funding? Finally, what impact does the funding have on neighborhood politics and the relationships between sending, transit, and receiving states? This research paper examines newly released project documents, budgets, and summaries for projects funded by the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey and the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa from 2015-17. Together, these two funds amount to more than 6 billion euros of migration and development aid. I created an original database by coding each grant by sector and by grant recipient to show how aid that was intended for development was often spent on border security. The paper analyzes the EU’s strategic and political interests in the neighborhood and how they were tangibly pursued through the new funding packages. Finally, the paper critically examines the EU’s record of influencing transit state policies, while also showing how transit states actually used the funding.

Author

• Nicholas R. Micinski, Boston University