The legal dimension of the migration-development nexus in the European Union policy framework

Abstract

This thesis enquires into the legal dimension of the Migration-Development Nexus (MDN) within the policy framework of the European Union (EU). Departing from the observation of the paradoxical absence of more legal analyses of this notion in the current context, this research aims at defining the contours of the MDN as both a policy and legal notion. In particular, this thesis looks at the evolution of the notion and its various meanings in the EU policy context. This analysis reveals the existence of different policy practices to implement the MDN, whether at the supranational or national level. By examining such practices, I intend to show that the way in which the MDN is conceptually framed and concretely implemented is influenced by competing 'policy logics’ underlying the understanding of the nexus by different policy actors. The aim of such an analysis is to identify ways for genuine policy integration of both migration and development in the EU context. To achieve this purpose, I argue that, as the MDN is gradually becoming a legal concept (being incorporated into legal instruments), it also needs to be defined in a more substantial way, for its legal dimension to be complete. In this respect, I first argue that, as a policy concept, the MDN should be 'enriched’ with interdisciplinary analyses and, second, I explore the possibility for grounding the MDN in human rights in order to 'flesh it out’ as a legal concept.