To what extent are migration issues articulated in programs of political parties in the EU Eastern partnership countries and in Russia?

Abstract

This policy brief examines migration rhetoric in political party programs of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. Migration issues remained vaguely elaborated, often barely mentioned, in the political party programs. Typically the focus on migration was problem-centred (e.g. on causes of migration, unemployment, etc.) rather than migration policy-centred (i.e. few policy proposals on migration). In Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus proposals from political parties to reform the migration policy were rare, and here most of legislative initiatives on migration came from the government. In Ukraine and Russia migration politics has been entangled with the ethno-politics -- with the debate on the protection of the rights and opportunities for migrants and minorities (on the liberal side) or on strengthening the titular nation and preserving its culture amidst “migrant invasion” (on the conservative side).