This report considers the Commission’s 2011 Communication on the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility and the UK’s participation in EU asylum and immigration measures. As countries in Europe face an ageing population and a declining birth rate, legal third country immigration into the EU will be needed to keep the economy on track and retain Europe’s competitiveness in a global market. While Member States should retain primary responsibility for their own migration policies, the EU also has a role to play. As the majority of irregular migrants enter the EU with authorisation and then overstay their visas, rather than crossing the EU’s external border by boat or land routes illegally, the EU should adopt a more effective approach in preventing irregular migration. The EU also has a role it can play in refugee management and building capacity in the asylum systems of countries of origin and transit. Moreover, migration policy cannot and should not be the sole concern of interior ministries and a more integrated approach with development and foreign affairs ministries - at the national and EU level - would help maximise the EU’s development aims. The reduction of trade barriers with non-EU countries and measures to facilitate remittances, mitigate the effects of brain drain and assist diasporas to contribute to their countries of origin would also be beneficial. The Committee also considers the position of international students in the UK: they should not be subjected to the Government’s policy objective of reducing net migration.