(noun)
When development cooperation is transformed from a tool for poverty reduction into a reward – or punishment – programme for migration control. Officially, aid and partnerships should support shared objectives. Unofficially, cooperation is increasingly measured by how quickly a government agrees to take back deported nationals and militarise its borders.
Features include:
- Threats of cutting aid rebranded as “policy incentives”
- Aid budgets repurposed persuasion tools to promote migration control
- Partner countries free to choose their own policies, provided they choose the ones Europe wants
- High risk of deportations and human rights violations
Example:
“The country was encouraged to strengthen cooperation on returns in order to deepen its partnership with the EU.”
Translation:
“Nice development programme you’ve got there. It would be a shame if something happened to it… but surely nothing will, so long as you reduce migration to the EU”
