Written question – Coherence of the ‘Pact for the Mediterranean’ with Member State experiences in migration policy – E-004165/2025

Question for written answer  E-004165/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Marieke Ehlers (PfE)

The Commission’s ‘Pact for the Mediterranean’ promotes deeper cooperation and increased mobility with southern Mediterranean countries. However, some Member States, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, have reached different conclusions based on their own experiences. Denmark has introduced restrictive migration policies due to concerns over fiscal costs and integration challenges. Similarly, research, such as the Dutch report entitled ‘Borderless Welfare State’[1], highlights the significant fiscal burden that migration from these regions can place on welfare systems.

• 1.Did the Commission take into account the specific experiences and detailed socio-economic assessments from Member States such as Denmark and the Netherlands when developing the pact, given their more restrictive policies?
• 2.How does the Commission reconcile the pact’s goal of promoting mobility as a source of growth and opportunity with findings such as those in ‘Borderless Welfare State’, which identify migration from these regions as a fiscal and social challenge?
• 3.What safeguards or conditions are included in the pact to ensure that its mobility and migration objectives do not lead to the negative fiscal and societal outcomes reported by Member States?

Submitted: 22.10.2025

• [1] Van de Beek J. H. et al., ‘Borderless Welfare State – The Consequences of Immigration for Public Finances’, University of Amsterdam, 2023.