A.I. Abdullin, full professor,
Head of the International and European Law Department
Kazan (Volga) Federal University
18, Kremlevskaya St., 420008 Kazan
e-mail: adel.abdoulline@kpfu.ru
R. Sh. Davletgildeev, PhD in law
Associate professor at the International and European Law Department
Kazan (Volga) Federal University
18, Kremlevskaya St., 420008 Kazan
e-mail: roustem.davletguildeev@kpfu.ru

On 11-12 December 2014, the Law Faculty of Kazan Federal University hosted the international scientific-practical conference “European and Eurasian migration systems: similarities and differences in legal regulation”, organized by the Centre of the European Union VOICES, the Department of International and European Law, and the Department of Human Resource Management of Kazan Federal University, with the organizational support of the Russian Association of International Law and the European Society of International Law (ESIL-SEDI).

The purpose of this conference was to analyze and discuss the current problems and challenges of modern international law, politics, economics and sociology regarding the characteristics of the European and Eurasian migration systems, the regulation of migration processes in the framework of regional organizations in Europe and Eurasia, as well as research into new trends and prospects in the legal regulation of migration processes.

The conference was attended by scientists from leading academic and research centers in the European Union, the CIS, and the Russian Federation. Also, the conference was attended by representatives of non-governmental organizations working on behalf of migrants, i.e., the Center for Legal Assistance to Foreign Nationals and the Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek national-cultural autonomies in the Republic of Tatarstan.

The six-season conference was held over two days within 6 sessions and covered various aspects of the European and Eurasian migration systems, ranging from independent Eurasian migration systems, new trends in the immigration policy of the EU, the similarities and differences in the  international legal regulation of labour migration in the EU and the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC), the role of external actors in the development of European and Eurasian migration management systems, ensuring the rights of refugees, migrant workers and other workers in different EU countries, the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasian Economic Union), immigrants in Italy from Ukraine and other former Soviet Union States, labour migration as a factor of socio-economic development of the territories, to trends and prospects of legal regulation of migration processes within the framework of European and Eurasian migration systems.

Prof. Nikita Liutov, of the Moscow State Law University spoke about the future of legal regulation of labour migration in the Eurasian Economic Union and the benefits of the EU experience in the formation of Eurasian integration.

It is worth mentioning that during the sixth session, Assoc. Prof. Darya Chernyaeva, of the Higher School of Economics submitted a report on trends in the legal regulation of labour migration in the academic environment in the EU and the Eurasian Economic Community (Eurasian Economic Union), while Prof. Andrey Lushnikov, Yaroslavl State University spoke about the trends and prospects of legal regulation of labour migration in Russia in the light of recent changes in national legislation.

During the summing up of the conference, the intrinsic value of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the problems relating to migration was noted, with a view to finding common ground for the representatives of the various areas of human knowledge and giving valuable guidance for public authorities and management, as well as for civil society institutions. The conference participants pointed to the need to further explore aspects of interaction between European and Eurasian migration systems in the dialogue between researchers from the EU and the Eurasian Union to develop proposals for combating illegal migration, improve the protection of the rights of forced migrants and streamline labour migration in the European Union, and the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as improve the legal regulation of migration in the Russian Federation.