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B U ILDING RESILIENT MIGR A TION S Y STEMS IN T H E MEDITERR A NE A N REGION
Recognizing the important role played by migrant workers, the region’s countries and economies have introduced exemptions to allow entry. During the pandemic, several countries have simplified administrative procedures and loosened requirements to make sure that migrants were available to help countries address the health and economic impacts of the crisis. For instance, Spain sped up the processes of recognizing foreign doctors’ and nurses’ professional qualifications and of granting visas for immigrants—including asylum seekers with pending cases—in these health care professions (Moroz, Shrestha, and Testaverde 2020). In most EU countries, occupations that justified continued admission during the COVID-19 crisis included (a) health care professionals, health researchers, and eldercare professionals; (b) transport personnel engaged in haulage of goods, plus other transport staff; and (c) seasonal workers employed in agriculture (EC 2020b). Governments also increased health and social welfare protection for migrants, showing that systems can become more flexible in response to shocks. Some European and GCC countries expanded health care access for migrants during the pandemic (Moroz, Shrestha, and Testaverde 2020). Several EU countries also introduced communication campaigns to inform migrants and refugees about the risks associated with COVID-19 and about transmission prevention measures and support services available during the crisis. Countries within and outside the region have also taken measures to include migrants in social protection schemes during the pandemic. For example, migrant workers with permits could apply for the federal stimulus payment in Italy and for pandemic-specific unemployment benefits in Ireland (Moroz, Shrestha, and Testaverde 2020). A direct cash transfer scheme benefiting refugees that was already in place in Turkey—the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), funded by the EU and implemented by the Turkish Red Crescent—was expanded between June and July 2021 to help refugees cope with the negative impacts of the pandemic (IFRC and TRC 2021). The Jordanian government, together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), provided emergency cash transfers to refugee daily-wage workers who were vulnerable to income losses because of the pandemic and lockdown measures (Hagen-Zanker and Both 2021).
Lessons learned and policy recommendations This report suggests that migration can and should continue safely in the context of pandemics, that additional actions are needed to promptly respond to future shocks, and that prepandemic challenges must be addressed to maximize the benefit of migration for the whole region. Faced with the health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, countries initially imposed strict mobility restrictions but have since shown the capacity to lift these restrictions, establish health protocols, fast-track migration procedures, and extend coverage of basic services to limit the economic and health impacts of the crisis. Although these actions were key to addressing the immediate migration-related impacts of the pandemic, more
