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The EU’s “quiet implementation” of the Global Compact on Migration, When informality in global migration governance weakens accountability

par Briere, Chloe
Référence Inaugural Conference I-CONS Benelux (26 & 27 October 2023: Maastricht)
Publication Non publié, 2023-10-27

Communication à un colloque

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Résumé :

In 2018, the ratification of the UN Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (hereafter the GCM) led to several political crises. The coordination of the positions of the EU Member States failed in the last steps of its adoption, with several Member States deciding to abstain or vote against the text. Additionally, in some countries, such as Belgium, the decision to ratify it led to acute internal political tensions (Melin, 2021). In such a divisive political context, the EU institutions and the Member States in favour of the GCM opted for its “quiet implementation” carrying it mostly through the EU’s competence in development cooperation and/or building on their previous commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (Kainz & Le Coz, 2022). This tactic to avoid political tensions is not new, and the literature has long explored how EU migration governance has moved to less visible mechanisms, such as the conclusion of informal arrangements (Ott & Gatti, 2019), granting new roles to the EU agencies (Pollak & Slominski, 2021) or mobilizing funding programs (Spijkerboer & Steyger, 2021). Nevertheless, such “quiet implementation” is emblematic of the impact political tensions may have on the EU’s external relations. In the field of migration, it notably leads to a preference for new forums of informal cooperation, in bilateral or multilateral settings, involving ever-changing alliances of third countries, regional and international organisations. After mapping out these forums of cooperation, the contribution will explore the challenges they raise in terms of transparency and accountability.