The Progressive Migration Group: Offering Progressive and Practical Approaches to Migration Governance and Cooperation in the EU–AU Context

Traditionally, the EU–Africa migration dialogue has framed migration as a crisis and is dominated by European priorities, often overlooking migrant and African government perspectives. In response to this imbalance, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Africa Migration Policy Center (FES AMPC), in collaboration with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung EU Office, established the Progressive Migration Group (PMG) in early 2023. Bringing together African and European experts, the PMG serves as a platform for dialogue and reflection, engaging policymakers from both continents to advance more balanced and progressive approaches to migration governance and cooperation. In this context, the PMG has actively facilitated consultations and developed policy recommendations during 2023 and 2024. 

PMG in Nairobi, May 2025

In May 2025, the PMG group held a hybrid meeting in Nairobi to discuss key migration governance issues, joined by additional experts from the Khartoum Process, the SDG Secretariat in Kenya, and the Mixed Migration Centre. The discussions focused on three main priorities.

• Synergy between AU and EU migration frameworks

• Return conditionality in labor migration

• The crisis of multilateral cooperation within EU–AU collaboration

Drawing on these consultations, the PMG drafted three policy briefs with tailored recommendations for policymakers and decision-makers in both Africa and Europe, offering practical, rights-centered guidance for balanced migration governance. The briefs focus on the following topics: EU–AU migration governance, return cooperation and conditionality, and multilateralism in EU–Africa migration cooperation. They can be accessed via the following links:

• Reframing the EU-AU Migration Governance: Bridging divergence through pragmatic collaboration

• Rethinking Return Cooperation and Conditionality in the context of EU-AU Migration Relations

• Revitalizing multilateral-ism to balance EU-Africa migration cooperation 

PMG in Rome, September 2025

In September 2025, the PMG convened in Rome in collaboration with Fondazione Socialismo ETS to present its policy recommendations to European and African policymakers. The group first engaged with leaders from the Italian Democratic Party, exploring the political realities of migration in Italy. 

Later, the PMG held a public event that addressed key themes in EU–Africa migration governance. Participants examined the overemphasis on irregular migration and the EU’s reliance on securitization, border militarization, and externalization policies, while also reflecting on return cooperation with countries of origin and transit. 

The discussion further focused on shifting the migration focus from crisis to opportunities highlighting the potential for equal and fair Africa–EU labor agreements that go beyond conditionality, such as that imposed under the ‘Immigration Flow Decree’ - Italy’s mechanism for managing labor migration through predetermined quotas often linked to cooperation on irregular migration. The goal is to create a win-win approach that safeguards migrants’ security, dignity, and human rights while equally advancing the interests of both the AU and the EU.

The PMG remains committed to fostering balanced, practical, and forward-looking approaches to migration governance and EU–AU cooperation.