Immigration to the European Union - Challenges and Opportunities for a Europe of 25+

The rising numbers of people willing to risk their lives in illegally crossing land, air or sea borders into the European Union has brought this aspect of migration into the limelight in the last few years. There is a lot more to be discussed in this context, except for the obvious shock and drama following the appalling images of bodies washed ashore in the Mediterranean. This work argues that the EU needs migration which is well managed and carried out in wide cooperation involving all potential stakeholders. It begins with an overview of a range of economic theories on Migration and discusses the development of EU policies in the field. Without taking extreme views or launching sharp critiques of the EU or the migrants' countries of origin, the paper attempts to deliver a broad overview and an impartial assessment of the immigration to the European Union.