Becoming European? The transformation of the British pro-migrant NGO sector in response to Europeanization

Abstract:
This empirical study addresses the question of the emergent adaptation processes of the pro-migrant NGO sector in Britain in response to the advancing Europeanization of immigration policy. Our findings show European-level engagement by some key pioneer non-governmental organizations (NGOs), who have importantly built pathways and linkages to politics beyond the nation-state, as well as participating in the European arena through interaction within a new transnational organization, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). Influence at the European level remains limited, however, largely due to the continued dominance of the restrictive nation-state policy imperatives.