Project Name: Managing Illegal Migration from Eastern Europe to European Union. The Case of Romanian Migrant Workers

1) Aims and objectives for the fellowship year (as defined in fellow contract project description):

General Aim:

This project aims to provide a qualitative understanding of the causes, means and effects of illegal labour migration through a pilot study in a high rate de-industrialized sending region, and to integrate the findings in a set of informed policy recommendation at central and local level for a better management of illegal migration. Particularly, it aims to promote practical solutions for the decrease of people trafficking and smuggling phenomena.

Specific Objectives:

·       To asses the successes and failures of central and local initiatives to control illegal migration;

·       To identify the  push and pull factors that contribute to illegal migration of Romanian workers, based on an in-depth case study;

·       To uncover the routes, structure, dynamics and methods of several illegal migration networks in order to inform prevention and awareness-raising efforts;

·       To formulate informed policy recommendations and to disseminate them to relevant stakeholders and environments in order to stimulate reflection, debate and public pressure on the illegal migration issues.

·       To write a research paper and a 20-page policy study with recommendations for the concerned institutions, including the Ministry of Administration and Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and International Organization for Migration

2) Identification of OSI network programs and foundations that may serve as partners (of course this can be updated/modified as advocacy plans develop)

OSI network:

OSI’s EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP)

Regional Open Society Foundations in Eastern Europe (including Romania and Bulgaria)

Relevant institutions in the field of migration management from Romania:

Ministry of Administration and Interior – General Inspectorate of the Romanian Border Police

International Organization for Migration         - Mission in Romania

Other relevant Policy and Research Centres:

Oxford University – Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS)

Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) – Sofia, Bulgaria

Romanian Academic Society (RAS) – Bucharest, Romania

3) Outline of expected benefits for those programs/projects

According to the International Organization for Migration the illegal /or irregular migrants account for one-third to one-half of new entries into the receiving western countries, marking an increase of 20 per cent over the past ten years. Illegal migration remains one of the hottest issues in the context of a globalizing world and of important developing processes as it is the process of European integration. New an upgraded research and policy studies, which can contribute to a better understanding and management of illegal migration phenomenon, are hardly needed, and this IPF project aims to bring its qualitative contribution in this field.

The OSI network programs and foundations can benefit form the comparative value and from the diagnosis brought by this policy study. The relevant departments and offices from the Romanian state institutions could better inform and orient their ongoing institutional building and programs in the field of migration management, by taking into account the relevant information which is gathered through this IPF project. Comparative knowledge enrichment on all parts and innovative ways of policy design can be stimulated through idea exchanges with the European research and policy centers – including those mentioned above.

4) Outline of your project's main deliverables including the 20-page policy study and at least one policy briefing paper as well as possible workshop(s), stakeholder analyses and meetings, program reviews or other strategy papers, etc.

a) Policy briefing paper

b) Policy study (approximately 20 pages)

c) A research paper on irregular labour migration to European Union with a special focus on smuggling phenomenon.  While a previous agreement form the publisher is needed, a potential list includes:

-                  the online journal of OSI's EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program (EUMAP)

                        www.eumap.org/journal

-           Policy Warning Report – publication of Romanian Academic Society

                        http://www.sar.org.ro/pages/publications_pr.php

-           Migration Online

                        http://www.migrationonline.cz/articles.shtml

-           the publications of the Centre on Migration Policy and Society, including the online

COMPAS working papers series

                        http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/publications/

The paper will be also posted on the IPF web page.