MIrreM Final Conference: Understanding Migration Governance
Irregular migration dominates political agendas across Europe and beyond, framed increasingly through a lens of security and control. In both Europe and North America, return and law enforcement measures are often prioritized at the expense of long-term integration strategies. In this context, the visibility and treatment of irregular migrants remain subject to significant political tension and public debate.
Reliable and transparent data on irregular migration is essential for evidence-based policymaking. Yet, measuring a phenomenon that, by definition, exists outside formal registration systems presents both methodological and political challenges.
Despite persistent data gaps, governments and institutions face mounting pressure to make decisions that directly affect the lives of millions of undocumented people. The European Commission’s proposal for a new common system for returns is one of the most recent policy initiative in this area. While it specifically refers to selected EU funded research projects, thus signaling an openness to consider research evidence, questions remain as to how much it has relied upon the extensive data and evidence being collected by researchers.
This event is the final conference of the MIrreM (Measuring Irregular Migration) project which has been working over the past years to examine the quantitative dimensions of irregular migration and related policies. Through a critical review of existing data and the development of innovative methodologies, MIrreM contributes to a better understanding of irregular migration, with a particular focus on regularisation policies and their potential impacts. In close collaboration with stakeholders, the project has developed insights and recommendations to improve data collection, interpretation, and use in policy contexts.
This event aims to promote open and constructive dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners. Through a series of interactive panel discussions, the conference will convene key stakeholders in the field of migration to collectively reflect on three central themes:
- How can we measure irregular migration?
- What are the policy responses to irregular migration?
- What is the impact of regularisation policies?
The event aims to bridge the gap between academic research and policymaking, encouraging mutual exchange rather than one-way communication. By creating a space for dialogue, the MIrreM Final Conference aims to contribute to a more informed, rights-based, and forward-looking approach to irregular migration governance in Europe.
WHEN: 11 September 2025, 9 am – 2 pm
WHERE: Residence Palace, Brussels (Hybrid format)
DRAFT AGENDA
8:45 – 9:00 Registration and coffee
9:00 – 9:30 Welcome and Opening
🎙️ Albert Kraler, Assistant Professor and MIrreM Project Leader, Department for Migration and Globalisation, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems
🎙️ Michail Moschovokos, DG RTD, European Commission
🎙️ Giulio Maria Mancini, Policy Officer, DG HOME, European Commission
🎙️ Denis Kierans, Senior Researcher, Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford
🎙️ Frank Laczko, former International Organisation for Migration
9:30 – 10:30 PANEL 1: Measuring irregular migration
How many migrants are living without regular status?
What are the current data gaps?
Which innovative methodologies are emerging?
Chair: Tuba Bircan, Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
🎙️ Alejandra Rodríguez Sánchez, Postdoctoral Research Scholar, University of Potsdam
🎙️ Fabian Bach, Team Leader, Eurostat
🎙️ Amparo González Ferrer, Deputy Director General of the Reception System at the Secretary of State for Migration, Spain
🎙️ Ann Singleton, Coordinator of PROMINSTAT and Associate Professor in Migration Policy, University of Bristol
10:30 – 11:30 PANEL 2: Policy responses to irregular migration
What are examples of promising practices towards individuals remaining in the country despite return orders?
Which trends are emerging in the current political climate?
How can fundamental rights be properly safeguarded within a return-focused approach?
Chair: Anna Triandafyllidou, Professor, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, Toronto Metropolitan University
🎙️ Maegan Hendow, Senior Researcher, International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
🎙️ Blanca Garcés Mascareñas, Senior Research Fellow, Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB)
11:30 – 12:00 Break
12:00 – 13:15 PANEL 3: The impact of regularisation policies
Is there any evidence of a so-called “pull effect”?
Can regularisation be a more effective alternative to return?
How can countries benefit from regularisation policies and programs – economically and socially?
🎙️ Albert Kraler, Assistant Professor and MIrreM Project Leader, Department for Migration and Globalisation, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems
🎙️ Ana Damas de Matos, Economist, International Migration Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD
🎙️ Laura Peitz, Researcher German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)
13:15 – 13:30 Closing remarks
🎙️ Michele LeVoy, Director, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM)
🎙️ Jasmijn Slootjes, Deputy Director, Migration Policy Institute – Europe (MPI-E)
13:30 – 14:00 Networking lunch
