Areas of Expertise

Migration, asylum, and refugee issues
European asylum and migration policies
International migration law
Human rights at external borders
UK migration policies

Short Bio

Svenja Niederfranke is a research fellow in DGAP’s Center for Migration where she researches the foreign policy and development impacts of migration cooperation.

Before joining DGAP, she worked on European migration policy as part of the Migration Programme at the European Policy Centre. She also gained experience working on international migration law at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva and on migration and development at the GIZ Representation in Brussels.

Niederfranke holds an LLM in human rights with a focus on international migration law from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in international relations from the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Netherlands.

[Last updated: June 2024]

Svenja Niederfranke

Research Fellow, Center for Migration

E-Mail

niederfranke@dgap.org

Expertise

Migration

Publications

Effects of the EU’s Migration Diplomacy

Lessons from Tunisia, Mauritania, Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan

Sophie Meiners

Svenja Niederfranke

This report assesses what the EU's high-profile deals with countries in the MENA region have actually achieved and offers recommendations for the EU to improve its migration diplomacy.

Five EU countries team up to build return hubs outside Europe

Allianzbildung in der Migrationspolitik

Was die Return-Hubs-Arbeitsgruppe leisten kann und was nicht

Svenja Niederfranke

Isabelle Schäfer

Germany and the Return Hubs Debate: Clearing the Fog

Svenja Niederfranke

Germany’s debate on return hubs suffers from vague definitions. Clarifying its purpose, target groups, stay conditions, responsibilities, and potential host countries is essential for coherent policy, sound cost-benefit analysis assessment, and effective EU negotiations.

Bild: Ein Flüchtlingsboot wird bei einem Rettungseinsatz aufgenommen.

Bedingt blaupausentauglich

Gut zwei Jahre nach Abschluss des EU-Tunesien-Deals zieht Brüssel eine positive Bilanz in Sachen Migration. Doch die Schwachstellen des Abkommens sind erheblich.

Sophie Meiners

Svenja Niederfranke