Family Reunification and Migrant Integration Policies in the EU Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion

This chapter surveys the scholarly debate on EU policies pertaining to the integration of third-country nationals (TCNs) in member states’ societies. This is not at all self-evident, since the European Union has no competence to regulate migrant integration. The chapter summarizes the content of migrant integration policy in the EU: the Long-term Residence Directive, the Family Reunification Directive and non-binding EU migrant integration policy. It points out particular issues of scholarly interest for each of these three policy subfields. The chapter surveys the literature on the negotiation and implementation of the two directives, exploring in particular the question whether Europeanization should be considered a ‘liberal constraint’ upon restriction-minded member states. It reviews the scholarly debate on the role of the EU in the emergence of a new policy paradigm in which integration and migration are fused.