In November 2011, the European Commission published the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM) – its new strategy in the field of migration policy towards Third Countries, which is to replace the ‘old’ Global Approach to Migration that had been adopted in 2005. In the GAMM, Mobility Partnerships (MPs), concluded between a Third Country, the European Commission and interested EU member states, are promoted to become the principal tool for policy implementation. According to the European Commission, the aim of the MPs is to provide a “comprehensive framework…to ensure that migration and mobility are mutually beneficial for the EU and its partners” (GAMM, p10). However, taking the Moldova-EU MP as example and drawing on literature on (collective) legitimation and organisational legitimacy, I will argue in this paper that rather than constituting a framework for effectively addressing migration-related questions, the MP is used by the different actors involved as a ‘legitimation tool’ for their respective political agendas. This becomes apparent when considering the numerous incongruities the MP is riddled with – while being presented as a seemingly coherent and easy-to-understand policy tool. Concentrating on the use of this tool by the Moldovan authorities and the European Commission, I will show that the Moldovan government – or rather its foreign ministry – employs the MP to raise its international standing, to sharpen its pro-European foreign policy profile, and to legitimise controversial decisions vis-à-vis other national institutions. The European Commission, for its part, uses the framework to consolidate its role in migration management. Whether the EU-Moldova Partnership delivers tangible benefits to migrants, however, remains questionable.
