Countries in the neighbourhood of the EU are extremely diverse in economic, political, social, and cultural terms; and their relations with the EU often depends on special ties with one (or more) Member State. However, these states also share some important common features, including the fact that all are major labour-sending countries, with the exception of Russia and Libya. A closer look at EU cooperation with neighbouring countries reveals significant discrepancies between the south and the east. In particular, the extent to which the tension between security (the fight against irregular migration) and mobility (visa policies) is played out in each region.

The panel will explore if and how migration and EU migration policy contribute to redesign the EU borderlands and to invent a European neighbourhood. More specifically, the panel will explore to what extent EU policies, in particular the migration components of the European Neighbourhood Policy, exacerbate differences between the EU’s southern and eastern neighbourhoods, rather than creating an area of shared prosperity as the EU intends.

This panel will adopt a comparative and transversal approach that builds on key differences between southern and eastern countries. Papers of the panel will be co-authored by a tandem of experts in one thematic domain (demography, political science, law, sociology), but with different geographic expertise (south/east). These tandems build on the network of the Migration Policy Centre (MPC) in Florence, which has hosted several EU-funded research projects (CARIM and CARIM-East).