International migration in the Mediterranean has changed dramatically since the 1990s. It has increased significantly, become far more heterogeneous and the former emigration areas of southern Europe have become preferred destination of immigration flows themselves. With the increase in the number of asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants since the 1990s, these migratory movements are increasingly perceived as a threat by many Europeans. Many EU countries have responded by tightening their immigration and residence laws, while others view immigration as more positive for the labour market and have repeatedly regularised undocumented immigration flows . At the same time, the expansion of the EU and the related regulations on freedom of residence for EU citizens has created an internal migration space within the EU. Referred to in the media as “Fortress Europe”, this is separated from the neighbouring non-EU countries and has a southern border that cuts through the Mediterranean region. While the EU is striving to regulate migration selectively, its southern neighbours are interested in using migration to boost their own development. One of the goals of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, which is currently focusing on migration issues, is to unite these opposing interests for the benefit of all concerned.
This article describes changes in the migration flows affecting the Mediterranean region, gives a statistical abstract of the foreign population in the Mediterranean countries based on selected examples and puts current migration trends into the context of regional development differences and divergent demographic developments in the region. It also analyses the different goals of the Mediterranean neighbouring countries’ current migration policies in the context of the current international discussion on the results of the Global Commission on International Migration and the Global Forum on Migration and Development regarding the relationship between international migration and development as well as migration management through transnational cooperation. Further, the paper relates these policies to possible future trends in international migration in the Mediterranean region.