Implementing EU external migration policy: Security-driven by default?

Most assessments of European Union (EU) external migration policy attest that it is dominated by migration control measures but overstate its potential to be implemented because they do not adequately account for the limited EU influence in non-member states (NMS). Although prevalent explanations for the security bias in EU external migration policy (EU-EMP) focus on the level of political discourse and decision making, there is another explanation for the dominance of security measures that stems from implementation dynamics in NMS. Drawing on insights from the public policy and implementation literature, the article argues – based on Matland's framework – that different combinations of ambiguity and conflict around components of migration policy shape distinct implementation dynamics of EU external policy. Implementation of the most comprehensive package of EU-EMP to date – the ‘Global Approach to Migration’ – is assessed in two priority countries: Morocco and Ukraine. The findings reveal that implementation of migration control measures benefits from low levels of ambiguity because it is easier to identify cooperation partners and translate clear policy approaches into viable interorganisational cooperation than in labour migration and migration and development measures under a preventive approach.