Nigeria and the European Union are seeking to expand legal migration opportunities for Nigerians travelling to Europe as the two sides work to finalise a long-delayed agreement on the readmission of migrants.
The issue was discussed by Nigerian Foreign Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu and EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Nigeria’s foreign ministry said.
Brunner affirmed the need to conclude the EU-Nigeria Readmission Agreement, negotiations on which began in 2016 and have continued through successive rounds of talks.
The proposed agreement would establish procedures for the return and readmission of people who do not have the right to remain in the European Union.
In turn, Odumegwu-Ojukwu called for a broader approach to migration cooperation that would combine readmission arrangements with support for the reintegration of returnees, infrastructure assistance and expanded legal pathways for Nigerians seeking opportunities in Europe.
The EU said the priorities could form part of a wider migration and security cooperation framework covering legal mobility, reintegration, border management and support from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, known as Frontex.
Nigeria and the EU also discussed measures to combat irregular migration and transnational organised crime, including a proposed information-sharing arrangement with the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, or Europol.
Brunner is expected to visit Abuja in November for further discussions, according to Nigeria’s foreign ministry.
The talks come as the EU seeks to increase legal routes for migration while tightening cooperation with partner countries on irregular migration and the return of people without legal status.
