Lobbying for the Rights of Refugees and persons who otherwise need International Protection – An assessment of the Political Influence of Pro-Migrant groups on the recast Qualification Directive

As the EU is increasingly becoming a destination for migrants, EU member states have decided to establish a Common European Asylum System by 2012. The intensified political integration, in turn, prompted a growing number of pro-migrant groups to participate in policy-shaping processes. Their presence in Brussels has aroused the interest of political scientists. While in early works, the changing migration patterns were analysed, in more recent scientific contributions the harmonisation endeavours in the areas of asylum and migration at EU level are critically scrutinised. In addition to that, several articles on the interest representation of migrants and asylum-seekers analyse the factors that affect the emergence of pro-migrant groups. Finally, some authors deal with the mission of pro-migrant groups and the political demands they forward to policy-makers. What lobbying strategies pro-migrant groups pursue at EU level and how successful they are, however, has not been assessed sufficiently. Thus, using the example of the recast Qualification Directive, this paper, firstly, identifies those pro-migrant groups active in EU lobbying; secondly, explores their lobbying strategies; and thirdly, assesses their influence on the EU policy-making process.