Migrations - [02/13/2009]

CIDOB takes part in a conference on labour migration policies in the Western Balkans

Even though it has a shared recent history, Southeast Europe is a diverse region today, and this diversity is also reflected in extremely varied situations as regards migration. In this region you can find countries which, owing to their high unemployment rates, have become producers of migrants, while others are attracting foreign workers to meet the labour needs on some of the emerging sectors in their economies. While many of the flows are directed towards Germany, Italy, Greece and Austria, others move within the Western Balkans.

Given the need to reflect on this reality, on 9-10 February the IOM held a seminar in Tirana (Albania) with the title of ‘Establishing Labour Migration Policies in Countries of Origin and Destination and International Collaboration in the Western Balkans’. Gemma Pinyol, Coordinator of the Migrations Programme of the CIDOB Foundation, took part in the session on bilateral cooperation, and presented Spain's experience in the field of bilateral agreements on labour migrations. Pinyol spoke about the traditional agreements on readmission and the regulation of labour flows, as well as reflecting on the challenges represented by what are called the “Second Generation Agreements” that Spain began to promote in 2006, mainly with the countries of West Africa.

Over a period of two days, the seminar brought together technical experts and institutional representatives from the Western Balkans, as well as experts from different international organisations. During the course of the different sessions, the participants analysed the main trends of labour migrations in Southeast Europe, the international legal framework that protects migrant workers, the policies developed by countries of origin and destination to tackle the challenges of labour migration and some of the practical initiatives for bilateral cooperation in the areas of migration and work.

>> For more information on the activity, see the Migrant Service Centres website