March MPG in the Media
‘It felt impossible to bring my partner to the UK’ | BBC | 7 March 2025
Many UK citizens with foreign partners say high income thresholds and visa costs – totalling over £11,000 – make it feel nearly impossible to live together in the UK. Despite some exceptions, strict rules and inflexible processes have left couples feeling financially and emotionally strained. The UK was ranked second from bottom out of 56 countries for ease of family reunion in the MPG’s 2020 Migrant Integration Policy Index, highlighting the broader policy challenges families face.
EU deportation plans raise legal and practical concerns | The Parliament | 19 March 2025
The European Commission’s proposal for third-country “return hubs” to expedite deportations raises significant legal and practical concerns, echoing previous failed attempts like Italy’s Albania deal and the UK’s Rwanda plan. Rights groups criticize the plan as punitive and unworkable, with civil society largely excluded from consultations. The proposal strengthens deportation powers, including EU-wide entry bans of up to ten years, while failing to define key security risks.
According to Carmine Conte, a senior legal policy analyst at the Migration Policy Group, “The new policy agenda of the Commission is really focused on externalisation and security issues, so there is not much about integration.” This approach reflects a broader shift towards restrictive migration policies across Europe, driven more by political narratives than an actual migration crisis.
EU needs unified return policy to deal with immigration, MEP Lukas Mandl insists | 27 March 2025
Başak Yavçan, MPG’s Head of Research, participated in the latest episode of the EU Perspectives podcast in which she discussed migration with Tomáš Zdechovský, MPE (EPP/CZE); Katarína Cséfalvayová, Director of the Institute for Central Europe; Camille Le Coz, Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe. EU Perspectives is a news portal dedicated to reporting on European Union policymaking, offering insights from policymakers and amplifying the voices of those affected by EU policies.
About the Migration Policy Group (MPG)
MPG is an independent think-and-do-tank based in Brussels. MPG’s purpose is rooted in its ability to inspire networks to provide evidence-based projects, research and campaigns in the areas of integration, migration and anti-discrimination.