The influence of pro-migrant groups within the shaping process of the EU asylum and migration policy

Hoffmann, U

Abstract

At the 1999 Tampere Council Summit, the Heads of the European Union member states agreed to harmonise national migration policies and protection standards by 2012. The Long-term Residents Directive and the Qualification Directive as well as their extension and recast form core elements of the common European asylum and migration policy. The negotiations of these directives have been followed actively by pro-migrant groups. Their intensified political involvement and presence in Brussels did not remain unnoticed by political scientists. However, previous studies mainly focused on the analysis of the factors that affect the mobilisation and claim-making of such groups as well as the key features that they need to make themselves heard in Brussels. This study adds to the existing literature by assessing the actual influence that the pro-migrant groups exerted on the four directives. To do so, in an extensive document analysis, the political objectives of the pro-migrant groups on the different directives were compared with the standpoints of the EU institutions. In addition, 50 in-depth expert interviews were conducted in which interest representatives and EU officials were asked to comment on and assess the influence of the pro-migrant groups on said directives. What is more, following the resource dependence theory, it was tested to what extent the ability to provide expert knowledge, political support, and legitimacy decided lobbying success and failure. The sample of the case studies finally allowed scrutinising whether the decision-making procedure – negotiation procedure and ordinary legislative procedure – has had an effect on the influence of the pro-migrant groups. The preference attainment analysis and the attributed influence assessment reveal that on all four directives the pro-migrant groups exerted more influence during the drafting stage than during the further negotiations. With a view to the effect of the decision-making procedure on the influence of the interest groups, no clear conclusions can be drawn from the cross-case study analysis. While no such effect was found when comparing the results of the original Long-term Residence Directive and its extension, after the introduction of the ordinary legislative procedure, the influence of the groups on the recast Qualification Directive has increased. Finally, regarding resource dependence, the empirical data confirms the dependence of the EU institutions on expert knowledge as assumed in the theoretical framework. For the Commission’s and the Parliament’s reliance on support and legitimacy, however, no empirical evidence could be found.

Citation

Hoffmann, U. The influence of pro-migrant groups within the shaping process of the EU asylum and migration policy. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 29, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 29, 2013
• Additional Information: Funders : Lady Monica Cockfield Memorial Trust