Exploitation in Northern European Agri-Food Systems
The project is funded by the Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI), Brussels.
This project focuses on working conditions in agri-food production in North Europe, in particular in Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. The project is in continuation with a study that the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and OSEPI carried out in 2018, which analysed the factors underlying the demand for exploitative migrant labour in the agricultural sector in Italy (https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/publications/italian-agriculture-pull-factor-irregular-migration-and-if-so-why).
The aim of the project is to:
1. zoom in on the agricultural sector in the three countries, to highlight the extent to which migrant labourers are being exploited via undeclared or substandard work; and, along the lines of the first report,
2. unpack the factors underlying or contributing to the demand. The latter should include those analysed in the first report, namely:
- the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP);
- EU and national labour mobility, migration and asylum policies;
- supply chain dynamics;
- anti-trafficking policies and the criminalisation of labour exploitation; as well as any additional drivers which may be identified in the different countries;
3. showcase best practices (e.g. on victim protection, labour inspection, migrant regularisation policies, conditionalities on access to EU/national agriculture funds, ethical labelling schemes, etc.) which have the potential to be scaled up to the EU level.
The three countries have been selected based on a combination of factors, including the size of their agricultural sectors, their influence and clout in Brussels, their traditionally strong labour movements and their generally well-regarded labour relations mechanisms and welfare systems.
The study is based on desk research on relevant academic literature, reports and policy and legal texts, and follow-up qualitative interviews with relevant stakeholders at national and European level.
Researchers associated with this project:
The project is coordinated by Dr. Letizia Palumbo, Research Fellow, MPC with the support of Prof. Alessandra Corrado from the Università degli Studi della Calabria. The research team is composed of 5 researchers, based in the countries involved in the project: Dr Jan Schneider and Malte Götte in Germany; Dr Andrea Iossa and Dr. Niklas Selberg in Sweden; Dr. Karin Astrid Siegmann in the Netherlands.
A comprehensive report and a policy brief summarising the main findings and recommendations.
The launch of the final report and policy brief will be on the 8th of September 2020 in Brussels.
