European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Bongiardo, D., Chiaramello, D., Dara, A., Cortinovis, R. et al., Atlas of migration 2024, Bongiardo, D.(editor), Dara, A.(editor), Crespi, I.(editor) and Sofos, I.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The Atlas of Migration is more than just a publication—it is a testament to the power of data and rigorous analysis in illuminating the multifaceted nature of migratory movements. The 2024 edition of the Atlas continues to serve as a vital tool for policymakers, researchers and the public at large, offering a wealth of data to cut through the confusion and misinformation that often surrounds the discourse on migration. The Atlas provides the latest harmonised and validated data on migration for the 27 EU Member States and for 171 countries and territories around the world. It brings together data from many reliable sources, such as Eurostat, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, the World Bank and many others. This year’s thematic chapter of the Atlas delves into the nuanced motivations behind migration, moving beyond simplified narratives in favour of a more comprehensive view that acknowledges the diverse and often overlapping reasons that propel individuals to move.

European Commission: Eurostat, Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

The Factsheets of Basic figures on European Neighbourhood Policy-South countries presents series of basic statistical data for the EU’s southern neighbourhood countries and compares them with EU data. The ENP-South countries are: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia. Cooperation with Syria is suspended since May 2011. With data up to and including the year 2022, this publication includes indicators from various domains such as demography, education, labour market, inflation, trade, economy, energy, etc. For certain indicators, effects of the Covid-19 pandemic may be discerned.

In order to address the diversity of country and territory codes and names used in the EU institutions, the European Commission has developed a corporate code list of countries and territories that covers the different use cases its services have.

European Union Institute for Security Studies, Ghanem, D., Publications Office of the European Union, 2023.

This Chaillot Paper analyses the EU’s relations with five North African countries – Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. In particular it focuses on how the fallout of the war in Ukraine as well as the ongoing migration crisis have affected relations. The volume addresses some of the perceived shortfalls in the current EU strategy towards these countries and identifies future areas of both tension and cooperation. The five country-specific chapters examine the EU approach to each country and provide a range of policy recommendations for the EU’s foreign policy in North Africa. One aspect on which the authors agree is the need for the EU to pay more attention to its southern neighbourhood as its influence has diminished considerably in the region. The different chapters and perspectives presented in this Chaillot Paper provide EU decision-makers with insights and recommendations for designing a better approach to the bloc’s southern neighbourhood, one that will enable Europe to strengthen its leverage in this critical region.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Radovanovic, N., Gonzales Evangelista, M., Hollanders, H., Tolias, Y. et al., Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Mapping exercise represents the cornerstone of the Smart Specialisation process for two main reasons: 1) it provides the evidence-based ground for identifying the preliminary priority areas for Smart Specialisation, and 2) it represents the stage where the first in-depth feedback from the key stakeholders in the proposed priority areas is received. The results of the mapping exercise are the essential input for the upcoming stakeholder dialogue stage. Tunisia has completed the mapping exercise and is about to embark on the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process journey, where the final list of priority domains and related policy actions would be proposed. This report presents the main findings on the economic, innovation and scientific potential of Tunisia, discusses the justification of the selection of preliminary priority areas for Smart Specialisation and outlines the preparatory steps to be taken for launching the stakeholder dialogue.

European Parliament: Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, Gammage, C., European Parliament, 2024.

This briefing considers how the monitoring and enforcement of human rights clauses in the European Union’s (EU) agreements have evolved to promote human rights compliance. A series of recommendations will be presented with a focus on the themes of consultation, monitoring, and enforcement. Consultative mechanisms have been a core feature of EU agreements and this briefing identifies interventions that will strengthen existing practices and facilitate more opportunities for transparent reporting and monitoring. This briefing outlines the importance of setting human rights benchmarks as part of the impact assessment process and proposes the creation of a new and independent complaints mechanism to manage alleged human rights abuses. Furthermore, this briefing evaluates the extent to which the creation of a binding enforcement mechanism and the use of human rights sanctions regulation may incentivise higher levels of compliance notwithstanding the political and economic sensitivities that must be considered when adopting these models of enforcement.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Kalantaryan, S., McMahon, S., Publications Office of the European Union, 2021.

Remittances represent an important tool for economic growth and poverty alleviation by ensuring a flow of financial resources from migrants and diasporas to households and communities in origin countries. Remittances can potentially be particularly significant as a connection between diasporas and communities of origin, a resource for development and a means to respond to and recover from crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. With this in mind, this report examines the sources, scale and significance of international remittances for Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia over time and in the context of COVID-19. It also discusses, to the extent that it is possible with currently available data, remittances in Libya. In doing so, the report highlights how these North African countries are quite distinct from one another in terms of the sources, scale and significance of their remittances. This potentially has implications for the way that remittances impact on development and poverty alleviation in each receiving country and the way that policies should be shaped to accommodate and respond to their differences.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, Almagro Herrador, J., Macovei, M., Bizer, M., Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

This paper explores the role of the euro in the Southern neighbourhood of the EU, notably in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Our analysis is based on a survey conducted by the European Commission in 2021 on the use of the euro and other currencies in these countries, as well as other relevant sources and is performed across five main dimensions: cross-border trade transactions, remittances, foreign exchange reserves, external public debt and the commercial banking sector. It finds that the use of the euro in Southern Neighbourhood countries is higher, on average, than in the world and in the EU’s Eastern Neighbours (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), although the US dollar remains the foreign currency of reference in the region. The US dollar’s continued strong role reflects historical developments and monetary arrangements, as well as the greater liquidity and dominant role of the US dollar in global financial markets. The region remains a heterogeneous group, with the euro playing a more prominent role than the US dollar in Maghreb countries (i.e. Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia). The extensive use of the euro for trade invoicing across countries seems highly correlated with the depth of economic and trade relations with euro area countries and the EU at large. Around one third of inward remittances are denominated in euro and over one third of the external public debt stock is denominated in euro on average, higher than the global average. The banking sector and foreign reserves remain heavily dollarised across countries. Based on these findings, the paper highlights new areas, such as green finance and NextGenerationEU bond issuance, which together with other policy initiatives could foster a higher use of the euro in the region.

European Commission: Eurostat, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022.

The European Union is a leading force in combatting climate change and environmental degradation, in Europe and in the world. A key priority of the EU is delivering the European Green Deal, which has set the blueprint for transforming the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy. The European Green Deal sets out a detailed vision to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, safeguard biodiversity, establish a circular economy and eliminate pollution, while boosting the competitiveness of European industry and ensuring a just transition for the regions and workers affected. Eurostat is supporting the efforts for delivering on the European Green Deal, and has recently launched a dashboard with ‘Statistics for the European Green Deal’, interactively presenting key developments in a wide range of policy areas concerned by the European Green Deal. These Factsheets on Statistics for a green future on the European Neighbourhood Policy-South countries — 2022 edition present series of statistical data relevant to the European Green Deal policy areas for the ENP-South countries, a number of countries from northern Africa and the Middle East, and compares them with EU data. The ENP-South countries are: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia. Recent data for Lebanon and Libya are not available. Cooperation with Syria is suspended since May 2011. With data up to and including the year 2021, this publication contains indicators from various domains such as forest areas, waste generated, renewable energy, energy production and consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and number of cars per person.

European Investment Bank, Ficarra, M., Gökten, M., Harasztosi, P., Lesma, R. et al., European Investment Bank, 2022.

Participation in international trade goes hand-in-hand with innovation in the private sector in the Middle East and the North Africa, according to data collected from 6 000 companies. International trade is a key determinant of the competitiveness and innovation of firms in the Middle East and North Africa. In Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and the West Bank and Gaza, firms that trade in international markets tend to innovate more, and trade grows faster when the firms invest in innovation. Trade with developed economies and access to information and know-how through participation in international markets can help firms in the Middle East and North Africa catch up with other regions and close the innovation gap. Improving customs and trade regulations can increase access to international markets to a larger share of firms. The Enterprise Surveys, conducted by the EIB, EBRD and the World Bank, provide insight into what lies beneath the region’s relatively slow growth, with a focus on the reasons for stagnating productivity and inadequate accumulation of human and physical capital in the private sector. This is the sixth of nine working papers supporting the full report: Unlocking sustainable growth in the Middle East and North Africa private sector.