Phase II of India-EU migration project launched

© ILO

© ILO

To facilitate safe, legal and orderly migration and to address challenges related to irregular migration within the EU-India migration corridor, the European Commission and the Government of India signed the Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility in 2016.

To support the joint objectives outlined in the CAMM, Phase II of the Cooperation and Dialogue on Migration and Mobility project was launched on 20 October 2023 in New Delhi by the Government of India and the European Commission, together with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).

Muktesh Pardeshi, Secretary; Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs; Ministry of External Affairs; and Johannes Luchner; Deputy Director General; Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs; European Commission, delivered keynote addresses.

Satoshi Sasaki, OIC and Deputy Director of the ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and Country Office for India, highlighted how international labour migration is a feature of contemporary labour markets and the future of work. He noted that labour migration could contribute to sustainable development in countries of origin and destination and that ageing populations and corresponding labour market shortages were increasingly seen as an opportunity for skilled labour migration. “Without proper governance frameworks, however, labour migration is also associated with challenges and risks”, he added.

During its two-year run, between October 2023 and October 2025, the project aims to support legal migration pathways along the EU-India corridor while reinforcing institutional capacity and awareness of associated challenges and risks.

The project will involve policymakers from India and the European Union, state-level authorities in India, the private sector, employers and workers’ organizations, CSOs, academia, as well as migrants and diaspora groups.