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Cover of the brief Strengthening the Implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum through Soft Enforcement

Strengthening the Implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum through Soft Enforcement

Policy Brief No. 1

Pauline El-Khoury, Emma Pecqueux and Evangelia (Lilian) Tsourdi
In recent years, migration governance has seen the rise of processes aimed at promoting compliance, without necessarily resorting to coercion or constraint, which we conceptualise as “soft enforcement”. This Brief explores the potential and limitations of soft enforcement in supporting the implementation of the reformed migration rules and concludes with a set of policy recommendations.
Cover of the brief Strengthening the Implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum through Soft Enforcement

DOI
https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.sem.c2-001

Publication date (online)
30-06-2026

Copyright
© 2026 The Authors and Maastricht University

License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0)

Download (PDF)
Read online

Maastricht University Press

Series
Studio Europa Maastricht Policy Brief Collections

Part of 
Studio Europa–EPC Policy Brief Collection on New Perspectives on EU Migration

Institution
Maastricht University | Studio Europa Maastricht

Maastricht University Press logo

Open Access

Description

The legal instruments of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum came into application in June 2026 following a two-year preparation period.

Key to the implementation of this legislative reform package is the rise of processes aimed at ensuring compliance without necessarily resorting to coercion or constraint, which we conceptualise as ‘soft enforcement’. Drawing on the conceptualisation of, and empirical research on, soft enforcement, this Policy Brief examines the potential and limits of soft enforcement.

We focus on two key mechanisms. First, steering, understood as the shaping of implementation through guidance, coordination, operational support, and networks. Second, monitoring, referring to the systematic collection and assessment of information on implementation progress and outcomes. The Brief concludes with a set of recommendations to strengthen the contribution of soft enforcement to the rights-compliant implementation of the Pact.

Publication details and metadata

Title
Strengthening the Implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum through Soft Enforcement

Collection
Studio Europa–EPC Policy Brief Collection on New Perspectives on EU Migration​

Series
Studio Europa Maastricht Policy Brief Collections

Institution
Studio Europa Maastricht | Maastricht University

Authors
Pauline El-Khoury (ORCID) – Maastricht University (ROR)
Emma Pecqueux – Maastricht University (ROR)
Evangelia (Lilian) Tsourdi (ORCID) – Maastricht University (ROR)

DOI (digital version) 
https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.sem.c2

License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0)

Copyright
© 2026 The Authors (text content)
© 2026 Studio Europa Maastricht (typographical arrangement and editorial compilation)

Access to this publication 
Download: Download the PDF
Read Online: Open the flipbook

Publication Type and Language
Report – English

Published On
30 June 2026

Subject

Keywords
EU Enforcement, Compliance, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, EU Migration Law, EU Migration Policy, Steering, Monitoring, Soft Enforcement

Citation for this work

 

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