The EU migration crisis – Getting the numbers right

The 2015 migration crisis revealed gaps in the EU’s migration-related statistics. This Brief looks at how unreliable migration data can be manipulated, and seeks to reverse the narratives which are put forward by certain actors in order to pursue their own agendas.

The EU has a reputation for setting good standards. During the migration crisis, the humanitarian sector (non-governmental and international organisations) criticised the Union for letting its standards slip. Yet the problem all too often came down to numbers – and their reliability.

A regulatory superpower like the EU is only as strong as its knowledge base, and the EU’s statistical picture of the migration flows remains very partial – leaving it dependent on other actors, who may exploit this weakness to promote their own agenda.

• Primary Source

ESO: Information Guide: European Migration Challenges http://www.europeansources.info/record/information-guide-european-migration-challenges/

ESO: Background information: Seeing double? How the EU miscounts migrants arriving at its borders http://www.europeansources.info/record/seeing-double-how-the-eu-miscounts-migrants-arriving-at-its-borders/

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