The Regional Workshop on Migration Statistics Harmonization among MARRI Participants, held on 23–24 April 2026 in Podgorica, brought together representatives from MARRI administrations. Organized by MARRI, the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the event served as a dedicated platform for advancing regional alignment with EU standards on migration and international protection statistics, with a particular focus on comparability, data quality and institutional cooperation.
Over the course of two days, participants reviewed the current state of migration and asylum statistics across the region, exchanged experiences and explored practical solutions to common challenges. The programme combined policy oriented discussions with technical sessions on Eurostat requirements, including international protection indicators, definitions and reporting practices. Expert presentation from the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) provided valuable insight into the EU regulatory framework and illustrated how strong inter‑institutional cooperation and modern data architectures can support reliable and timely statistical reporting.
Interactive working sessions allowed participants to assess data availability against a common framework, identify gaps, and jointly reflect on steps needed to improve harmonization. Presentations by representatives of the MARRI administrations highlighted both progress achieved and remaining challenges, particularly in relation to data exchange between agencies, methodological consistency and the use of administrative data for statistical purposes.
The workshop concluded with a shared understanding of priority actions, including strengthening inter‑institutional cooperation, addressing key data gaps, and continuing regional dialogue through the MARRI Permanent Working Group on Migration Statistics.
The event reaffirmed the commitment of all participants and partners to building more robust, comparable, and policy‑relevant migration statistics across the region, in support of evidence‑based decision‑making and the region’s EU integration path.