Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) aim to facilitate trade between two or more countries by doing things such as cutting tariffs or facilitating investment, but new research from the University of Geneva shows that that more than 70% of all PTAs signed in the last decade also contain provisions on international migration.  The majority of these provisions are legally binding commitments that liberalize economic migration. However, states and economic blocs like the European Union also use PTAs for commitments to protect migrant rights and, especially for the EU, commitments in which the signing parties agree to fight irregular migration and cooperate on readmission.

Read full article here