Temporary and circular migration : empirical evidence, current policy practice and future options in EU Member States

This EMN Study on Temporary and Circular Migration: empirical evidence, current policy practice and future options in EU Member States was undertaken by twenty-four of the EMN National Contact Points (EMN NCPs) from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom and serves to respond to the request from the Council, through its Council Conclusions and the Stockholm Programme, regarding further exploration and development of circular migration as an integral part of EU migration policy. Temporary and circular migration are receiving increasing policy interest within the EU as forms of migration which have the potential to satisfy labour demand, whilst ensuring return, and providing benefits to both the migrant and the country of origin. In this policy context, the aims of the study are to illustrate different policy preferences and approaches to these two forms of migration across Member States, and to provide evidence of their characteristics, as well as to identify lessons learned, best practices and possible policy options, which could be further explored at national and EU political levels. The Study covers the period from 2004 up to end of 2010, though statistics are provided up to the end of 2009.