EU Refugee Crisis: A Stumbling Block to the Process of European Integration?

Currently, the European Union (EU) is dealing with an unprecedented refugee crisis which has been blamed for bringing the process of the EU integration to an impasse. By applying theories of European (dis)integration, this paper assesses the extent to which the current refugee crisis constitutes an impediment to the future of the European Union. This paper’s analysis is constructed around two hypotheses: (1) the refugee crisis triggered Brexit and the failure of the EU’s relocation scheme, symptoms of the EU’s disintegration; (2) the refugee crisis has a dual potential: to simultaneously promote the deeper integration and the disintegration of the EU. To test these hypotheses, this paper examines if and how the refugee crisis is related to Brexit and whether the rebellious reaction of certain EU member states to the implementation of the EU relocation scheme is a sign of reversal in the process of EU integration

Refugee Crisis and the European Union: Do the Failed Migration and Asylum Policies Indicate a Political and Structural Crisis of European Integration?

This paper deals with the refugee crisis and its impact on the European Union. The absence of a common immigration policy, even the existence of diametrically opposed attitudes and different practices of individual member states in the regulation of the refugee wave, caused a complete failure of European Union migration and asylum policies. It has, on the one hand, deepened the refugee crisis and, on the other hand, pointed to the structural and political crisis of the European Union, since they have brought into question the fundamental values of European integration, in particular human rights, unity, cooperation, solidarity, freedom and democracy. Similarly, the conflict of supranational and national interests and policies very pronouncedly came to light. The refugee crisis has also become a serious test for not only migration and asylum policies, which have proved unsuccessful, but has brought to the fore the structural and political weaknesses of European integration. Consequently, they have raised the issue of redefining the modalities of cooperation and institutional structure, especially relations of the European Commission and nation states, as well as relations among member states, particularly big and small ones

Stadtflucht [:urban flight] : Multi-level governance of the refugee crisis

The thesis investigates how multi-level governance can explain the actions of urban local authorities in the European refugee crisis between September 2015 to September 2016. The research is building on the increased role and empowerment of local authorities and the harmonisation of migration policy through Europeanisation. Looking specifically at the role of cities is crucial due to the asserted discrepancy of rural and urban local authorities and the vital role of cities in the management of the refugee crisis. By using the method of policy process tracing, the aim of the thesis is to understand what mechanisms of multi-level governance are shaping the policy relation of the local, national and European level. This is employed on three main governance areas of the refugee crisis, namely the provision of basic care for refugees, the management of migration flows and integration efforts. The focus of this thesis is the chosen case study of Vienna in Austria, which sheds light to several insightful mechanisms of multi-level governance during the refugee crisis. The thesis investigates how multi-level governance can explain the actions of urban local authorities in the European refugee crisis between September 2015 to September 2016. The research is building on the increased role and empowerment of local authorities and the harmonisation of migration policy through Europeanisation. Looking specifically at the role of cities is crucial due to the asserted discrepancy of rural and urban local authorities and the vital role of cities in the management of the refugee crisis. By using the method of policy process tracing, the aim of the thesis is to understand what mechanisms of multi-level governance are shaping the policy relation of the local, national and European level. This is employed on three main governance areas of the refugee crisis, namely the provision of basic care for refugees, the management of migration flows and integration efforts. The focus of this thesis is the chosen case study of Vienna in Austria, which sheds light to several insightful mechanisms of multi-level governance during the refugee crisis

The EU’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis: a battleground among many Europes

This article examines the European Union (EU)’s response to the 2015–2016 refugee crisis. Departing from the understanding that Europe is a contested phenomenon, it investigates how different – Thick, Thin, Parochial and Global – Europes influenced the EU’s management of the crisis culminating in the March 2016 EU-Turkey ‘refugee deal’. Two findings are advanced. First, European actors reacted differently to the EU’s initially attempted Thick Europe approach to the crisis, following their respective Europe conceptions. Second, faced with growing divisions, they ultimately united around a lowest common denominator solution represented by the refugee deal which illustrated Thin Europe at the expense of a more norm-based policy associated with Thick and Global Europes. The findings demonstrate the significance of embedding the various European reactions to the crisis within different Europe categories while showing that consensus was still possible to tackle an external problem.Scopus - Affiliation ID: 6010507

Solidarity in Europe

solidarity in Europe; transnational solidarity; political sociology; citizen responses to crisis; asylum policies; refugee crisis; attitudes towards European Unio

Responsibility of the first world nations to protect refugees: non-refoulement as an obligation erga omnes

The Global North’s approach to addressing the European refugee crisis raises troubling questions about their self-professed democratic standards. Europe, North America, and Australia’s responses to the refugee crisis are discriminatory: cemented on disguised racism, their response reflects their ostensible “comfort” with the idea of an inclusive, multi-religious, and multi-racial-democracy

On the Shores of Greece: EU Migration Policy in the 2015 Refugee Crisis Through the Lens of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework

This paper breaks down elements of the EU’s response to the 2015 refugee crisis through the case of Greece, specifically in light of the four components in the UN’s Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework. Especially important in the regions of the Mediterranean and Europe since the beginning of the 2015 refugee crisis, this paper defines elements of migration within the European context. Furthermore, it seeks to understand how preference for political and national security over humanitarian aid and action highlight policy failings in light of the UN’s Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework

COMMITMENTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA TO FIGHT ILLEGAL MIGRATION FLOWS

Macedonia has faced refugee crises several times in its history since its independence as a state, starting with the refugee crisis triggered by the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then the refugee crisis that happened as a result  from the conflict in Kosovo, as well as the last refugee crisis from the conflict with the Arab countries. The closest thing to us is the refugee crisis from the conflict with the Arab countries that started in June 2015, whose intensity started to decrease in March 2016, but it didn't stop there. Macedonia is faced with a new challenge to deal with the new refugee crisis. Macedonia managed to build a system that proved to be functional in the management of the refugee crisis, taking into account that the most common situation was when refugees do not treat our country as a final destination but as a transit destination. In her role as a transit country during the European migrant crisis, she showed her advantages and disadvantages in terms of the treatment of migrants, the readiness of institutions to deal with the flow of migrants and the crimes that occurred as a result of this massive influx of migrants.   &nbsp

The EU Migration Crisis in Terms of Asylum Applications Received: A Cluster Analysis over the Period 2015-2018

This research sets out the importance of studying the refugee crisis and the phenomenon of migration, the way refugees reach European territory and in which states they aim to settle. The first part of the article shows the evolution of illegal entries on the routes that refugees use to enter the European continent in the period between 2009-2018. The second part of the article aims to highlight the European States which were affected by the refugee crisis in light of the asylum requests submitted by the applicants for international protection in the EU between 2015-2018. Therefore, the analysis led to the classification of the European States into four clusters: (i) states with a high number of asylum applications; (ii) states with a medium to high number of asylum applications; (iii) states with a small to medium number of asylum applications; (iv) states with a small number of asylum applications. The objective of this classification is to identify the states that were affected by the refugee crisis