The aim of this conference is to disseminate the research results of the ERC-funded project “Migration and Transnational Social Protection in post-crisis Europe” (MiTSoPro), led by Jean-Michel Lafleur at the Center for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) of the University of Liège.

T

he ERC-funded project “Migration and Transnational Social Protection in (Post) Crisis Europe” (MiTSoPro) examines the link between migration and welfare across 40 countries, including all EU27 Member States and 13 non-EU countries. The first part of the project aims to answer the following research questions: What kind of social benefits can migrants access in their host countries and what type of social protection entitlements can they export from their origin countries? Do some migrant groups benefit from an easier formal access to welfare benefits than others? Do some countries offer more inclusive social protection regimes for immigrants and emigrants alike?  

In addition to this analysis of migrants’ formal access to social protection, the second part of the MiTSoPro project documents, via ethnographic fieldwork, the experience of migrants accessing social protection various countries in Europe and beyond, in order to better understand how formal entitlements are combined with informal cross-border social protection practices.

During the event, our team members will present their project findings and will receive feedback from academics and practitioners in the area of migration and social protection. The conference will take place both on-site and online and simultaneous translation from French to English and vice versa will be provided. For further information, you may find attached a description of the project and the programme of our conference. We will share practical details closer to the event. Simultaneous translation from English to French and vice versa will be provided.

Program

Session 1 | Migrants’ Access to Welfare Entitlements, Consular Services and Diaspora Policies  

9.30 : Opening 

9.45 - 10.45 : Migrants’ Access to Social Protection across the EU: Comparative Findings from the MiTSoPro Project

• Presenters: Jean-Michel Lafleur and Daniela Vintila
• Discussant: Jean-Thomas Arrighi, University of Neuchâtel/NCCR 

10.45 - 11.15 : Unpacking the black box of Bilateral Social Security Agreements: Protecting EU Nationals in non-EU Countries

• Presenter: Angeliki Konstantinidou 
• Discussants: Grega Strban, University of Ljubljana and Hendrik Hermans, Counsellor-General, FPS Social Security 
  
  Coffee break 

Session 2 | Transnational Social Protection Arrangements of Migrants

11.30-12.30 : Stratégies médicales transnationales : parcours thérapeutiques des migrants tunisiens entre la Tunisie et l'Europe

• Presenter: Carole Wenger 
• Discussants: Ali Belhaj, Institut National du Travail et des Études Sociales (INTES)/Carthage University and Mohamed Khrouf, MD, Associate Professor in Gynecology Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine

12.30-13.30 : Lunch 

13.30-14.30 : Un usage contraint de la liberté de circulation ? La mobilité transnationale de français en situation de handicap à partir de l’expérience des familles 

• Presenter: Jérémy Mandin 
• Discussants: Ana Marques, Senior Researcher, EPS Ville Evrard and Isabelle Resplendino, President and founder, Association pour les Français en situation de handicap en Belgique  

14.30-15.30 : Welfare Brokers and Mobile EU citizens’ Access to Social Protection: The Case of Romanian Migrants in Germany 

• Presenter: Alexandra Voivozeanu
• Discussants: Monica Şerban, University of Bucharest/Research Institute for the Quality of Life of the Romanian Academy and Daria Pîrvu, ROMBEL, Romanian community in Belgium

Coffee break 

15.30-16.30 : Décès et protection sociale transnationale des migrants sénégalais en Europe

• Presenter: Félicien de Heusch 
• Discussants: Aly Tandian, Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis and Alioune Dioh, Neurolo-gist, Intercommunale de soins spécialisés de Liège

16.30-17.30 : Closing session 

See the project's website

Video about the projet

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 680014