Migration and Sustainable Development in the EU: A Case Study of the Seasonal Workers Directive

Abstract

Most discussions of the EU’s development agenda that emphasize the social dimension of globalization in general or labour rights and standards in particular tend to focus on either trade agreements or aid. However, in 1999, the EU explicitly linked migration to its development objectives, and in 2011, the European Commission launched the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM), which lists ‘maximizing the development impact of migration and mobility’ as one of its four pillars. A distinctive feature of the GAMM’s approach is that migrants are placed at the centre and their human rights are to be mainstreamed throughout the migration cycle. To what extent is the GAMM’s commitment to migrants’ rights being put into practice? How does the GAMM’s emphasis on migrants’ rights impact upon development? Using the recently adopted Seasonal Workers Directive as my focus, I will attempt to address these questions. First, I will examine the extent to which the Directive protects migrant workers’ human rights and ensures that they have access to meaningful labour standards. Second, I will explore the extent to which the Directive facilitates circular migration, which is seen as a key component of development-oriented migration. Third, I will consider the relationship between this Directive and Mobility Partnerships, which are the EU’s key instruments for linking migration to development, when it comes to migrant workers’ rights and circular migration.