Paola Pace of the International Organization for Migration Challenges the Concept of the “Economic Migrant” in a Lecture at the Faculty of Law

The lecture, organised within the UAB Master's Degree in European Integration, was open to all students and academic staff from across the Faculty of Law.

With a deliberately provocative title, Paola Pace invited attendees to reflect on the limitations of the terminology used to classify migrants, particularly the concept of the “economic migrant”. Based on her extensive professional experience in the field of international migration, she questioned to which extent traditional categories let capture the complexity of the motivations and circumstances that drive migration movements.

The speaker shared practical examples and raised questions regarding the legal and policy implications of these classifications, encouraging a more critical perspective on the concepts commonly used in migration debates.

It is also worth noting that Paola Pace is currently pursuing her doctoral research under the supervision of Dr. Cristina Blasi Casagran, director of the UAB Master's Degree in European Integration. This academic connection helped strengthen the link between university research and professional experience within an international organisation.

The session stood out for its dynamic, interactive and participatory nature, with numerous questions and reflections from attendees, who had the opportunity to engage directly with the speaker on the current challenges facing migration policies.

The Faculty of Law and the management team of the Master's Degree in European Integration would like to express their gratitude to Paola Pace for her availability, valuable insights and contribution to an enriching academic discussion on an issue of great relevance in both the European and international contexts.