“Not everything that counts can be counted”: Assessing ‘success’ of EU external migration policy
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12355 |
| Author | Natasja Reslow |
| Date | 01 December 2017 |
| Published date | 01 December 2017 |
“Not everything that counts can be counted”:
Assessing ‘success’of EU external migration
policy
Natasja Reslow*
ABSTRACT
In the context of the ongoing “migration crisis”the externalization of EU migration policy has
continued. EU policy documents argue that cooperation with non-EU countries is essential in
order to manage migration flows. But how successful is this policy? The public policy litera-
ture teaches us that “policy success”can be defined in varying ways: as goal achievement; as
political success; in terms of norms; in terms of the costs associated with the policy; tempo-
rally; and in the light of external factors. An application of this analytical framework to the
EU Mobility Partnerships uncovers conceptual and methodological challenges, and above all
highlights the need for evaluation of EU external migration policy to be taken more seriously.
INTRODUCTION
In the wake of the “migration crisis”of 2015 and 2016, the externalization of migration policy –
cooperation with non-EU countries on migration issues –has emerged as an important component
of the management of migration flows. The European Agenda on Migration promised action “to-
gether with partner countries to put in place concrete measures to prevent [migrants undertaking]
hazardous journeys”(Commission, 2015: 5). A number of measures were agreed, notably with Tur-
key, including the creation of a €3 billion “Refugee Facility for Turkey”and the agreement to
return irregular migrants from Greece to Turkey (Commission, 2016a; Council, 2016). This exter-
nalization of migration policy is, however, not new: EU policy documents dating back two decades
have argued that in order for the EU to achieve its migration policy objectives, it must cooperate
with non-EU countries (see e.g. Commission, 2001). This link is assumed, and much weight has
been assigned to it, but does it really exist? Given the nature of public concern over migration
flows at the moment, it is important to know whether the policies implemented in response to the
“problem”actually address the “problem”at all. The EU has come under fire for its cooperation
with non-EU countries, which cannot necessarily guarantee migrants’rights (see e.g. Amnesty,
2016, on the measures agreed with Turkey). If such policies, on top of this, are also not successful,
then they are indefensible. The underlying question addressed in this article therefore is: how suc-
cessful is EU external migration policy?
Surprisingly little attention has been paid to this issue, by policy-makers and academics alike.
The Commission’s reports on the implementation of the Global Approach to Migration and Mobil-
ity and the European Agenda on Migration are rather statements of actions taken than a systematic
assessment of whether or not these policies have been successful. For example, statements such as
* Maastricht University, Netherlands
doi: 10.1111/imig.12355
©2017 The Author
International Migration ©2017 IOM
International Migration Vol. 55 (6) 2017
ISS N 00 20- 7985 Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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