Socio-economic Inclusion of Migrants in the Adriatic-Ionian Area: Dynamics, Policies and Challenges

Since the mass migration dynamics along the so-called Balkan Route in the years 2010s, the Adriatic-Ionian region has acquired new political relevance. In fact, the perceived migration and security challenges have led to a close cooperation with the EU in the management of migration. Beyond humanitarian and security matters, the arrival of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants has triggered crucial questions in relation to the opportunities for their reception and integration. Against this backdrop, this chapter investigates how the governmental response to migration evolved in the Adriatic-Ionian area and what are the main trends, points of convergence and gaps between countries. Here, the objective is also to foresee possible future evolutions in light of the experiences of the neighbouring countries and in consideration of possible future reinforced cooperations. The study grounds on the findings collected within the Interreg-Adrion project REInSER though literature review, document analysis and interviews to key stakeholders, and it is supported with further desk research aimed at highlighting the latest legislative evolutions in the region.