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Written by Anita Orav.

Drawing attention to migrants’ human rights and highlighting their contribution to society, International Migrants’ Day is observed every year on 18 December. The day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly on 4 December 2000 in response to growing migration numbers around the world.

Context

Migration is and will continue to be part of the human experience, both globally and in the EU, as a natural response to adversity and violence of various kinds. On 1 January 2022, 27.3 million people (6.1 %) of the 448.8 million people living in the EU were non-EU citizens. Most migrants – approximately 2 to 3 million per year – arrive in the EU using legal channels. However, wars and upheaval in neighbouring countries are also triggering displacement of people and increased irregular arrivals of migrants.

Migration management in the EU

The EU and its Member States have shared competence in migration policy. In recent years, the priority accorded to migration has been reflected in the EU budget, with €22.7 billion allocated to migration and border policy from 2021 to 2027. Acknowledging that the EU needed to move away from ad hoc solutions and put in place a predictable and reliable migration management system, the European Commission put forward a new pact on migration and asylum in 2020. The pact combines key EU policies on migration, asylum and border management and was adopted in spring 2024. In addition, the Commission has initiated reforms to its legal migration policy by proposing a skills and talent package, intended to attract and retain highly skilled third-country nationals, and by creating the EU Talent Pool, which will match employers in the EU with jobseekers from non-EU countries. The objective is to help address critical labour shortages across Europe and to offer a response to the demographic situation in the EU of an ageing population. Research confirms that legal migration channels are a viable way to mitigate the problem of a declining EU workforce.

Honouring the contributions of migrants and respecting their rights

The theme for International Migrants’ Day in 2024 is ‘Honouring the contributions of migrants and respecting their rights’. It was chosen to raise awareness of the issue of exploitation and to highlight migrants’ positive contribution to society. The European Commission asserts that legal migration is an investment in the economy and society.

The EU action plan on integration and inclusion addresses perennial barriers to migrants’ education, labour market and housing. At the end of 2024, a mid-term review of progress made will be published, based on consultations with the Member States. Progress on practical action to support integration in areas such as health, housing and employment can already be visualised in the Commission’s progress tracker.

European Parliament position

The European Parliament has previously advocated a humane, solidarity-based and common approach to migration. In its resolution of 25 November 2021, taking into consideration that total labour supply in the euro area was projected to fall by 13 % (20 million people) between 2019 and 2070, Parliament encouraged the development of adequate legal economic migration channels.

Parliament’s adoption of the new pact on migration and asylum, to be applied from mid-2026, confirmed its willingness to take ‘an important step, to a common European asylum and migration policy that is well functioning and long-term’.

Read the complete ‘at a glance’ note on ‘International Migrants’ Day: 18 December 2024‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Wednesday, 18 December

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Wednesday, 18 December

Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

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