In 2024, the EU adopted the Pact on Migration and Asylum aimed at creating a more balanced approach to solidarity and responsibility-sharing among member states.

This included the introduction of a new Solidarity Mechanism to support Member States “under migratory pressure” through relocations, financial support, or alternative measures, such as capacity building or technical equipment. While this mechanism has the potential to alleviate some of the pressure faced by first-arrival countries, without adequate pledges and efficient implementation it risks becoming yet another symbolic measure rather than a functional solution.

In this paper - authored by the IRC, Berlin Governance Platform and HIAS - we explore the challenges in implementing relocations under the new Solidarity Mechanism, learnings from the co-authors’ programmatic experience and  recommendations as to how relocations and data-driven algorithmic matching can become a valuable and scalable operational tool  that benefits both newcomers and host communities alike.

Available documents & links