Europe’s Migration Agreements with Migrant-Sending Countries in the Global South: A Critical Review Aderanti Adepoju*, Femke van Noorloos** and Annelies Zoomers*** ABSTRACT The past two decades have seen the steady emergence of various bilateral and multilateral migration agreements between Europe and migrant- sending countries in the global South. This article provides a critical assessment of the way the EU – and individ- ual countries such as Spain, France and Italy – have played active roles in reshaping old and developing new strategies for keeping migration under control while opening up new opportunities for ‘‘regular’’ migration. It also discusses the extent to which migration agreements help migrant- sending countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to optimize the link between migration and development. Based on an analysis of the contents of the migration agreements and their implementation, it has become obvi- ous that there is still a long way to go to achieve ‘‘fair multilateralism’’ and create ‘‘win-win’’ situations between the EU and the poorer migrant- sending countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. INTRODUCTION The European Union, with 27 member states, about 500 million inhabit- ants and a share of global GDP of 31 per cent, has the potential to * Professor and Chief Executive, Human Resources Development Centre, Lagos, Nigeria and Coordinator of the Network of Migration Research on Africa. ** PhD student (International Development Studies), Utrecht University ⁄ Radboud University. *** Professor of Human Geography (International Development Studies), Utrecht University and Professor of International Migration, Radboud University. Ó 2009 The Authors Journal Compilation Ó 2009 IOM Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd., International Migration Vol. 48 (3) 2010 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK, ISSN 0020-7985 and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2009.00529.x MIGRATION Edited by Elzbieta Gozdziak, Georgetown University