SMC Policy Forum explores new trends in Philippines-Europe migration

On 28 May 2025, the Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC) organised a Policy Forum titled “Revisiting and Prospecting Philippines-to-Europe Migration: New Trends and Policy Implications.” The event brought together key stakeholders to examine recent developments in migration corridors between the Philippines and selected European countries, drawing on findings from the Philippine study under the AspirE Project.

The forum opened with welcome remarks from Fr. Nguyen Hoàng Khánh Huy, SMC’s Director, and special messages from Mr. Frederic Grillet, First Secretary of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines, Asec. Levinson Alcantara of the Department of Migrant Workers, and Dr. Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot, Principal Investigator of the AspirE project from the Université libre de Bruxelles.

To frame the discussion, Dr. Marla Asis, Principal Investigator of AspirE-Philippines, together with Early Career Researchers Bernard Garcia and Eunice Tejada, presented key findings from the Philippine study. Their presentation drew on insights from a policy review, multi-stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, and datasets on aspiring migrants. Informational posters displaying project highlights were available onsite, and members of the research team engaged with attendees to answer questions.

The event concluded with an open forum and workshop session, which gathered participants from embassies, government agencies, international organizations, recruitment agencies, civil society groups, and academic institutions. The discussions emphasized the need for evidence-based, coordinated policy responses to address the evolving dynamics of Philippines-to-Europe migration.

The posters, and other knowledge products of AspirE, are linked here: linktr.ee/smcaspire