This panel examines the challenges the Union faces in terms of immigration, emigration and generally its attractiveness in the region. The central question is: How can the Union manage its intellectual resources and continue to be a regional force of attraction?

To shed light on this question, Claudio Matera (TMC Asser Institute, The Hague) addresses the impact of economic and political crises on the development of an EU strategy on mobility. The Union has concluded a number of mobility partnerships programmes with neighbouring countries.  He argues, however, that because of constitutional constraints concerning the division of competences with the member states and because of political contingencies such as the economic crisis and the Arab spring, the major developments at EU level on migration really concern security and border controls. Parallel to this, the economic crises within the EU threatens the funds normally destined to promote knowledge-related mobility such as the Erasmus Programme and the Research and Innovation Fund. He analyses the norms and principles of the EU legal order that could help the integration process to overtake the current impasse at home and abroad.

Furthermore, Karolina Podstawa (EUI) will present ‘virtual returns’ as an innovative approach to counter ‘brain drain’ from the EU. She stresses that what is at stake is not only the applied potential of people, but also their know-how, networks, experience. The lack of data concerning the flow of high-skilled migrants makes this problem invisible for the larger public and policy makers. Her paper identifies the opportunities for applying regulation concerning ‘virtual return’ of know-how, networks and experience and the potential of enhancing this regulation so that it is not only applied to the citizens of the EU, but also to third country nationals.

Finally, beyond migration to and from the EU, Nikos Skoutaris (Maastricht University/LSE) moves to the ‘big picture’ of the attractiveness of the EU as such. In his paper, he examines the extent to which the European Neighbourhood Policy is still promoting a kind of regionalism that might be of interest to the countries surrounding the Union.