Event report

Conclusions from the Conference on migration, 24 September 2021 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Conference was focused on the importance of legal migration pathways which is not only one of the key elements of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, but also an issue of great importance for Croatia as a Member State on the external border of the European Union. On this occasion, the Republic of Croatia reiterated a position that it has already shared many times on the EU level. More precisely, the new EU policy for migration and asylum must provide Member States with adequate mechanisms for facing irregular, and sudden mass migration movements and we must work together more intensely and proactively to create new migration channels which will enable third-country nationals to come to the EU in a legal and regulated manner. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In that context, the experts from the Ministry of the Interior, representatives of international organisations and representatives of academia and the civil society discussed whether the new EU Blue Card Directive, the development of digital nomadism and talent partnerships could contribute to reducing the intensity of irregular migratory flows. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ They came to the conclusion that the development of legal pathways for migration could help and partially reduce the intensity of irregular migratory flows, but it cannot completely eliminate them. Even though both of these have “migration” as a common denominator, they are “different numerators of the same fraction”, each of which depends on many factors - circumstances for which a person leaves his country, degree of vulnerability, urgency to leave the country, various procedures that are applied in the context of legal and irregular migration. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It is precisely due to these differences that we cannot ever expect to fully redirect irregular migration to legal channels, but we must learn to live with both and to manage them while recognising their potential for the development of European societies, and keeping in mind our obligations to provide protection to persons in real need. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ In the context of legal migration, it was emphasized that both Croatia and Europe will be lacking more and more manpower in the future. Europe is facing serious demographic problems that cannot be eliminated by simply exchanging work force among Member States. It is from this perspective that Croatia should aim to find high-quality work force in third countries that would meet its market needs and at the same time focus on preventing brain drain in these countries, which would have long-term negative impact on their development and would lead to even more massive irregular migration over time. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Participants agreed that it is important to apply the new EU mechanisms in Member States, as they would facilitate the arrival of highly-skilled, mid-skilled, and even low-skilled labour. In addition, it is equally important to include as many Member States in programmes such as those for resettlement, relocation and visa issuance, in order to save as many persons whose lives are being threatened in their home countries. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30 women and 20 men participated in the Conference, most of them middle-aged adults.