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Quarterly Mixed Migration Updates

Quarter 3 - 2025 (July-September)

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Photo Credit: © IOM 2025 / Mouaid Tariq Duffani

A critical policy analysis

Opening doors, hardening borders:

Inside Biden’s strategy on mixed migration and the lessons learned for Europe.

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New Paper

“I knew nothing would be easy without papers”

A glance at undocumented migrants’ access to housing, employment, and healthcare in Brussels and Paris

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About MMC’s work in Europe

MMC engages in data collection, research, analysis and policy development on mixed migration to and within Europe.

Our primary objectives are to bridge the knowledge gap, guide programming that enhances migrant protection, and support policy-making that upholds the rights and safety of people on the move.

MMC’s flagship data collection project with people on the move, 4Mi, has been operational in Europe since 2019. In 2024, data collection is ongoing in Italy, Greece, Spain, Belgium and France, surveying people who have travelled along mixed migration routes to Europe. In addition to 4Mi, MMC Europe undertakes various research initiatives.

Ongoing MMC Europe initiatives include: Understanding discrimination in access to housing for migrants in Italy, Greece, and Malta; exploring vulnerabilities to trafficking among people displaced from Ukraine in Bern, Berlin and Warsaw; exploring return’s perceptions and intentions among undocumented migrants in France and Belgium, with particular focus on Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) options ; exploring the impact of irregularity on access to services and employment for migrant workers in Italy, Greece, and Spain; understanding decision-making processes during migration journeys in Europe and the role of public policy.

Mixed Migration in Europe

Migration to and within Europe is marked by significant diversity, involving refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and others driven by a complex mix of conflict, insecurity and economic factors. Journeys are perilous and involve significant challenges along the way, heavily influenced by shifting policies, border controls, and the broader European response to migration. European governments are increasingly adopting restrictive migration policies that undermine their ability to safeguard refugees’ and migrants’ rights and provide essential services. This hardline stance further complicates efforts to enhance support systems and create meaningful pathways for entry, residence, and integration.

Mixed migration to Europe follows several key routes: the Eastern Mediterranean Route from Turkey to Greece, the Central Mediterranean Route from North Africa to Italy, and the Western Mediterranean Route from North Africa to Spain. Additionally, the Atlantic Route, which involves crossing from West Africa to the Canary Islands, has seen a resurgence in recent years.

The Western Balkan Route serves as both an entry and transit corridor, with migrants traveling through Southeast Europe towards Western Europe, Within Europe, the English Channel, for example, has become a prominent route for those attempting to cross from France to the UK. Further, the displacement crisis triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has resulted in millions of people fleeing to neighboring countries and beyond, marking one of the largest movements of people within Europe in recent history.

In recent years, another notable development has been the movement of migrants through Belarus to Poland and other EU countries, as well as through Russia to neighboring states. These routes have introduced new challenges to migration management in Europe, adding complexity to the existing migration landscape

Quarterly Regional Updates

During the second quarter of 2025, MMC Europe launched 4Mi data collection in Spain, interviewing migrants who arrived in the country via the Atlantic route from West African countries to the Canary Islands, specifically covering the theme of smuggling dynamics across the Atlantic. During the quarter MMC Europe also presented preliminary findings of the PRIME project to scholars from several European universities and discussed data collected in 2024 in Brussels with local civil society and institutional actors. We also published a snapshot on the protection risks for Afghans and Syrians on the route towards Turkey and Greece. In the next quarter, MMC Europe will start collecting data on smuggling dynamics with recent arrivals in Italy. Other publications and analyses upcoming in the next quarter include on the impact of irregularity on labour market and rights access in Croatia, Greece, Italy and Spain, and mixed movement dynamics towards Spain.

Latest Publications

Latest Mixed Migration Updates