The Migration Initiatives encouraged by the Local and Regional Networks and their effects in the Euromed Cooperation

Since the migration and refugee crisis of 2015, local and regional authorities (LRA) are networking to increase their incidence in the migratory policy-making. Still, it is not clear if these collaborative platforms are having a concrete impact in terms of external migratory policies with a Mediterranean regional view. To contribute to this analysis, this study presents a policy framework, based on six outstanding migration initiatives led by selected local regional networks (LRN). The objective is to identify the effects of this cooperative relation in terms of transnational policies in the euro-Mediterranean context for the period 2015–2021. The first part of the article displays the European migratory priorities in the region involving LRA. The second identifies the outstanding initiatives led by some LRN and develops a frame policy analysis accordingly. This section outlines the challenge of sustainability; the limits of multilevel governance and the absence of southern Mediterranean engagement. The multi-sectoral approach, which makes use of decentralized institutions and programs, has become a new tool for these emerging lobbies. The third part addresses the narrative of these networks when it comes to migration confirming the existence of a building Mediterranean focus of interest of the LRN.