International theories of cooperation: Prospects for a common European migration policy governing entry rules for TCNs

• Main Author: Thouez, Colleen V
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Subjects: history, european; political science, international law and relations; sociology, demography
• ISBN: 9780599270541; 0599270543

This thesis seeks to explain under what conditions a common migration policy governing the rules of entry for third country nationals (TCNs) is likely to emerge within the European Union (EU). Although intergovernmental arrangements have emerged in the last decade to harmonize asylum, refugee and other more broad based migration policies, the prospects for a common policy at the EU level, based on supranational cooperation, like the European monetary and judiciary systems, are still unclear. The most telling signs that such a policy might emerge are the commitments made during the ratification of the Amsterdam. Treaty in June 1997. This treaty envisions a five-year period during which states will act "alongside" the European Commission, with the European Council acting unanimously in this field. Although these recent developments suggest a move towards supranational cooperation in the area of migration, the fate of such a policy is for from sealed.
My study employs two theoretical approaches to gain greater insight into the conditions under which a common policy could materialize. First, by studying international relations theory literature, we will seek to understand under what circumstances states compromise with one another. Thereafter, by examining regime theory literature and its relation to migration in general and to a common migration policy for the EU in particular, we will attempt to clarify some of the broad extrapolations made with respect to regime theory literature. The second part of this work looks at developments within the EU with respect to migration. Chapter 3 will provide a useful reference by presenting a compte-rendu of migration related developments throughout the EU, with particular attention to principal receiving states. Chapter 4 will analyze data from interviews with EU experts in the field of migration and EU cooperation. The purpose of chapter 4 will be to establish the "priority lists" or to borrow from international political economy literature, the "pareto-optimal" migration policies with respect to the entry rules for TCNs of each principal receiving state. Chapter 5 will explore the tension between the priority Fists examined in Chapter 4 and the collective interests suggested from a purely theoretical perspective in Chapters 1 and 2. By marrying both the theory literature and the degree of divergence between the priority lists of each receiving state, we may hypothesize on the prospects for a common migration policy in the future. The last chapter will touch upon future challenges within the EU, such as political union and Union expansion. It will attempt to predict how a common policy might affect or be affected by such developments.