As Europe faces declining birth rates, aging populations, and persistent labor shortages, legal migration is increasingly treated as both an economic necessity and a demographic fix. Yet this raises a more fundamental question: what is the actual added value of legal migration for European societies and is it truly indispensable, or simply a default policy that has gone unchallenged? More provocatively, what would it take for Europe to reduce or even move beyond reliance on legal migration altogether? 

This event will examine the costs, benefits, and long-term implications of legal migration in the European Union, with a particular focus on its economic contribution, demographic impact, and effects on labor markets and social cohesion. It will assess whether current migration policies deliver their intended outcomes, and whether alternative strategies, ranging from productivity gains to demographic and labor market reforms, could reduce Europe’s structural dependence on immigration. 

Bringing together Rodrigo Ballester, Head of the Center for European Studies, and Georg Menz, professor at Old Dominion University, this conversation moves beyond conventional talking points to interrogate what “added value” legal migration actually provides and whether Europe can realistically reduce its reliance on immigration in the decades ahead. 

The event is open to the public and press, but prior registration is required. The event will be held in English.

Program: 

09:30 – Registration 

10:00 – Panel Discussion: Legal Migration in Europe: A Burden or a Chance? 

  • Georg Menz, Professor at Old Dominion University and Visiting Fellow at Mathias Corvinus Collegium 
  • Rodrigo Ballester, Head of the Centre for European Studies, Mathias Corvinus Collegium 
  • Moderator: Damille Devenyi, Researcher at the Center for European Studies, Mathias Corvinus Collegium

11:00 – End of Event