Dr. Tunay AKOĞLU Team Leader, Euromed Migration II Project, Brussels
Some thoughts on international migration
	According to the latest available international data, in today’s world 3 per cent of the world’s population is an international migrant: 200 million people. In terms of value, formal remittances represent the second largest transfer of any legal commodity (thus excluding narcotics) worldwide, after oil. In fact, according to the World Bank‘s annual estimates around 200 billion of US $ are sent home by the entire ‘international community of migrants’. Such a global phenomena has not only economic relevance but it also has social, human, cultural and legal impact on individuals, families, societies and nations.
Some definitions and basic concepts can be given as background before exposing the present features of international migration. Migration is the act of moving within one’s country of origin or cross borders to other destination countries, while immigration is the act of entering and remaining in a country of which one is not a native. Emigration is the term used to describe the act of leaving one’s country of origin to settle in or spend time in a different destination country. Thus, immigration is a “inbound” movement, whereas emigration is a ‘outbound’ flow. Immigration (destination) and emigration (origin) countries have different social and economic approaches, concerns and interests vis-a–vis the migratory flows and policies. Consequently they look at the migration related issues from quite diversified angles. Moreover, various forms of migration such as; legal or illegal immigration, transit migration, return migration, circular migration, etc. are considered using different criteria , norms , rules and regulations by various authorities, institutions or civil society organizations dealing with or involved in migration issues. Daily news, almost always, describe clashes between immigrant and indigenous population in European countries or they announce new regulations or legal measures the same countries are taking to control immigration flows or they publish comments, claims and complaints made by the immigrants against their ‘host countries’. United States immigration acts, legal norms and regulations are increasing at a very rapid pace. These facts are highly indicative for a ever evolving climate and setting entwined with a great number of socio-economic and cultural differences that exist at all levels between the migration generating and migration receiving societies. In fact, immigration countries and communities understood rather very late that, while they were awaiting ‘workers’ they got ‘people’. International migration, which is above all a flow of human beings, entails intrinsic human problems; each immigrant bring with himself or herself specific legal, social, cultural, ethnic and economic problems. Moreover, the migrant has to face various other problems in a new and foreign environment. After a given period of time, issues associated with adaptation, integration and assimilation steps and realities also arise. The above considerations vary according to the historical/past periods and also according to immigration countries. For example immigration in the USA experienced during the last two centuries evolved in a melting pot, while immigration in Europe is still struggling with various integration problems for the last 50 years. There is a common approach followed towards the migration issues by both emigration and immigration countries: the need to debate migration policies in a joint forum, reaching a consensus whereby illegal migration is banned, legal immigration is encouraged and organized within the limits of labour market rules and contribution of remittances by the migrants are channelled to the development efforts in the emigration countries. This approach is detectable and valid above all for the migratory flows and migration policies involving Europe & South Mediterranean areas and for the USA – Mexico borders, without forgetting of course, specific migration issues prevailing in Asia and in Africa. Latest research work published at the international level is mainly focused on four major areas: (I) Promotion of human rights in relation to migration, (II) Advocating of immigration in developed world regions with an aim to balance labour market, i.e.: supporting labour supply against diminishing work force & aging population, (III) Emphasizing economic benefits deriving from remittances by the migrants to their countries of origin, (IV) Studies on the specific aspects of women migration, and (V) Unacceptability of illegal migration, generally associated with not legal transactions and activities such as prostitution, drug dealing, money laundering, slavery & exploitation of human beings, etc. It can also be noted that, international organizations and institutions are also increasingly interested in and are actively dealing with migration topics. In particular, European Union, United Nations System (UNDP, World Bank, ILO, etc..), International Development Banks, various civil society organizations and NGOs, etc. Keeping in mind recent international developments directly linked to migration, there is still much room for further debate. And this debate will increasingly cover joint approaches, common concerns and new consensus reaching mechanisms which could emerge from a worldwide collective thinking and from collaboration & cooperation between immigration and emigration countries. This article is based on the following and latest bibliographical sources: 1) The politics of migration & immigration in Europe, by Andrew GEDDES, 2002 2) International migration, by Khalid KOSER, Feb. 2007 3) International migration, by Jonathan W. MOSES, 2006 4) The europeanization of national policies and politics of immigration, by Thomas FAIST & Andreas ETTE, 2007 5) Migration in Europe & the Mediterranean, by Michel KORINMAN & John LAUGHLAND, 2007 6) International Migration & Economic Development, by Caglar OZDEN & Maurice SCHIFF, 2007 7) Re-thinking migration, by Alejandro PORTES & Josh DEWIND, 2007 8) Immigration & migration (Global issues), by Rayna BAILEY, 2008.