Migration is one of the most intractable challenges facing the EU. Climate change, violent conflict, as well as poverty and a lack of opportunities reinforce the rising trend in global migration.

Weaknesses in EU asylum and migration policy were exposed already in 2015, when 2 million Syrians sought refuge in Europe and subsequent attempts to reform the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) were unsuccessful. In 2020 the European Commission proposed a New Pact on Migration and Asylum to create a common framework for future crises based on principles of solidarity as well as flexibility. The Pact, however, imploded not least because of the pandemic.

The EU is now at a crossroads. Should policy focus on the root causes of migration or fortify borders and improve ‘pushback’ strategies, which fly in the face of international law, and human rights?

Crucially, whilst in 2022 most European states responded at pace and with generosity to the arrival of millions of Ukrainian refugees, the war also highlighted the flaccidity of the EU as an actor to issue a collective response.

If the EU is to cope with the next influx of refugees and asylum seekers a collective approach is essential. To realise this, the EU needs first and foremost to launch a wide-ranging and inclusive discussion on migration in general. This must combine two elements: a sober analysis of Europe’s demographic and socio-economic needs alongside efforts to fulfill the  EU’s commitment to human rights.

Dr Vanessa Tinker, Collegium Civitas International Relations Department, Vanessa.Tinker@civitas.edu.pl, https://twitter.com/tinker_vanessa

9.05.2023