July – MPG in the Media

Le modèle d’intégration luxembourgeois toujours perfectible | Le Quotidien | 1 July

This article of the daily Luxembourg’s newspaper Le Quotidien covers the launch of MIPEX Luxembourg result. The MIPEX 2024 report shows that Luxembourg’s integration policies are only “slightly favourable,” scoring 61/100. While there has been progress in education, health, and employment, major gaps remain in political participation, family reunification, and anti-discrimination. Structural barriers like slow diploma recognition and limited access to public jobs continue to hinder migrant inclusion. Luxembourg ranks 6th in the EU but still trails behind countries with more inclusive policies like Sweden and Belgium.

‘Worrying’: Single EU member states make asylum agreements with other countries | FRANCE 24 | 8 July

In an interview for France 24, Carmine Conte, MPG’s Senior Legal Policy Analyst, criticised the proposed UK-France migration deal as a short-term fix that ultimately harms migrants. He highlighted that the agreement -allowing returns of migrants in small boats and exchanging them for asylum seekers with UK ties – risks increasing dangerous journeys and fatalities. Conte warned that such policies burden Southern European countries and rely on flawed EU rules about first-country responsibility. He also expressed concern over deals with countries like Libya and the trend of outsourcing asylum processes to third countries, stressing the need for a fair, EU-wide asylum system with legal and safe pathways for migrants.

France–UK migration deal piles more pressure on EU asylum policy | The Parliament Magazine | 10 July

The article explores the political fallout and humanitarian risks sparked by the new France–UK migration deal, which operates on a ‘one in, one out’ basis and expands French police powers to intercept boats. MPG’s Carmine Conte criticises the deal as emblematic of a fractured EU asylum system, arguing that member states are abandoning collective responsibility in favour of self-interest. He warns that cracking down on one migration route will only push people toward more dangerous ones, and stresses that the lack of safe, legal pathways to asylum in Europe leaves many migrants with no alternative but to risk their lives at sea.