Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 27th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG3: Public Administration Reform in CEE and CA Author(s) Ionut-Bogdan Berceanu National School of Political Studies and Public Administration Bucharest Romania Title Adapting the European Immigration Policy in the Context of the Migration Pressure File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Ionut-Bogdan Berceanu Abstract Migration is as old as history, and by no means a new phenomenon. An interesting statement is saying that: “For much of human history, movement – migration - has been the norm: an endless search for new hunting grounds, new pastures, new sources of goods to be traded, new means of work. The rise of the modern state changed all that. (Harris, 2002)”. Currently, migration is one of the major socio-economic and political challenges European Union are facing. (Im) migration mostly describes the movement of non-EU nationals, also called Third Country Nationals (TCNs), to the EU and is often approached by governments and the public as something that needs to be controlled, managed, monitored and/or prevented. It can be observed that there is growing European interest in immigration as migrants become an increasingly significant presence in Member States. The heightened prominence of the issue of immigration in public debates and policy agendas comes from several directions. For example, there has been increasing interest in immigration and the global movement of people due to concerns around terrorism, which has been associated with pressure towards tighter controls on immigration. At the same time, economic and labour market perspectives emphasize the need for migrants to fill the skill and labour needs of European economies, even as there is concern from certain quarters that an influx of migrant workers can have detrimental effects on wages and employment amongst native workers. This paper aims to present a general perspective in implementing the European immigration policy and some of the findings, regarding the challenges how this policy should be adapted reformed in order to respond to the threats of the EU is facing today. The methodology used is preponderantly qualitative and it is based on the analysis of official documents, case study and EU Court of Justice case law and it will be divided into main parts. The first part concerns the area of free movement and it is analysing how the Union should adapt in order to not affect the right of free movement, taking also into consideration the rules relating to the absence of internal border controls. The second part of the research is analysing how the EU adapted its rules and policy regarding illegal immigration and unauthorized residence, and combating human trafficking. The final objective of the paper is to observe if the EU – as a system, has the capacity to adapt its rules and policies in order to face the challenges and manage the crisis it is facing today. Immigration in Europe, if managed well, has the potential to address many key challenges facing certain Member States, including population ageing, the constantly changing demands of economies, and increased need for competitiveness in the global economy
