The "migration marker" is an internal tool to track spending on migration related actions in third countries. The marker was introduced in response to reporting requests by the European Parliament and the European Council, along with specific ones by the European Court of Auditors1, and as a way to track migration related expenditure in third Countries.
Actions and interventions whose main objective and the whole envisaged contribution aim at supporting management and governance of migration and forced displacement or directly targets specific challenges related to migration and forced displacement, adequately measured by as many result indicators as necessary, will be marked 2, and accounted as contributing to the migration spending target for the 100% of their value.
Actions and interventions with a significant objective and at least one result and relative indicator specific on supporting management and governance of migration and forced displacement or directly targeting specific challenges related to migration and forced displacement, will be marked 1, and accounted as contributing to the migration spending target for the 40% of their value. Other projects, including those where migration is mainstreamed or referred to as an ancillary or secondary aspect, but this is not reflected in any significant objective, result or indicator, will be marked 0, and accounted for at 0%.
It can be used at design stage, for communication and reporting purposes.
During project design (identification and formulation)
During monitoring and reporting (e.g., Results-Oriented Monitoring, Annual Reports)
During evaluations (to assess migration relevance and responsiveness)
EU staff in management and monitoring
The migration marker helps ensure that migration considerations are not treated in isolation but are integrated across all sectors of EU development cooperation. This improves policy coherence and ensures that sectoral programmes (e.g. health, education, employment) take into account the realities of migration and mobility.
It aligns with the EU's broader commitments, including the Global Compact for Migration, the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, and the Agenda 2030, making
The marker provides a structured way to track and quantify how much of the EU's development funding contributes to migration-related outcomes. This enhances transparency and accountability in how migration is addressed in development programming.
By applying the marker, implementers are encouraged to adopt comprehensive and context-specific migration-sensitive approaches, rather than focusing narrowly on border control or return mechanisms. This supports more human rights-based and development-oriented migration governance.
The consistent use of the marker across interventions allows for data aggregation and comparative analysis, helping to build an evidence base on what works in migration-sensitive development. This can feed into better policy formulation and adaptive programming.
Migration is often linked to fragility, conflict, and climate stress. The marker contributes to early identification of migration-related risks and opportunities, improving the conflict sensitivity and resilience orientation of EU development cooperation.
Actions and interventions whose main objective and the whole envisaged contribution aim at supporting management and governance of migration and forced displacement or directly targets specific challenges related to migration and forced displacement, adequately measured by as many result indicators as necessary, will be marked 2, and accounted as contributing to the migration spending target for the 100% of their value.
Actions and interventions with a significant objective and at least one result and relative indicator specific on supporting management and governance of migration and forced displacement or directly targeting specific challenges related to migration and forced displacement, will be marked 1, and accounted as contributing to the migration spending target for the 40% of their value. Other projects, including those where migration is mainstreamed or referred to as an ancillary or secondary aspect, but this is not reflected in any significant objective, result or indicator, will be marked 0, and accounted for at 0%.
Data/information. N/A
Time. N/A
Skills. N/A
Facilities and materials. N/A
Financial costs and sources. N/A
Tips and tricks.
Tip # | Title | What to Do |
1 | Go Beyond the Obvious | Identify indirect migration links (youth employment, diaspora, host-migrant overlaps). |
2 | Use the Logframe | Check logframe objectives, results or indicators for migration relevance. |
3 | Check Target Groups & Stakeholders | Look for migration-related target groups or stakeholders (e.g. IOM, UNHCR). |
4 | Apply the Marker Early | Apply the marker during design, not just for reporting or monitoring. |
5 | Combine with Other Markers | Check for overlaps with gender, climate, youth—multiple markers reinforce relevance. |
6 | Document the Score Justification | Write a brief explanation justifying the score and refer to supporting documents. |
7 | Review Similar Cases | Compare across similar projects to ensure consistent scoring. |
8 | Use It Strategically | Use the marker to ask questions about design relevance and potential improvements. |
For further information, any revision or comment, please contact INTPA-ICM-GUIDE@ec.europa.eu
Published by INTPA.D.4 - Quality and results, evaluation, knowledge management. Last update June 2025