Dossier

The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum

After years of erratic and uncoordinated actions, the European Commission revealed in September 2020 the long-awaited New Pact on Migration and Asylum to “propose a fresh start” on this highly politicised policy priority. Will the Pact become the coherent strategy on migration the EU needs? How can the EU strike the right balance between responsibility and solidarity, on the one hand, and opposed national interests and priorities, on the other hand? Our dossier illustrates different perspectives on the European Commission’s proposal, with contributions from our foreign offices and partners in the EU and beyond.

Recent publications

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E-paper

Support for civil search and rescue activities

Options for the German government

26 July 2023
Prof. Dr. Nora Markard, Marlene Stiller, Prof. Dr. Anuscheh Farahat, Isabel Kienzle, Jonathan Kießling
Published: July 2023

Ten years after the 2013 Lampedusa shipwreck killed an estimated 360 migrants, state-led search and rescue operations are persistently absent in the Mediterranean — despite the continuously high number of distress cases of persons attempting to cross in unseaworthy boats. In response, over the past 10 years, various non-profit actors have set up civil search and rescue operations. However, their operability and effectiveness fluctuate to a considerable degree depending on state actions. This is because European governments have been restricting and hampering civil search and rescue activities in various ways over the past years. In light of this, the present study examines the options for the German government to support civil search and rescue operations at the national and European level.
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Access denied: Secrecy and the externalisation of EU migration control

E-paper
For at least three decades, the EU and its Member States have engaged in a process of “externalisation” – a policy agenda by which the EU seeks to prevent migrants and refugees setting foot on EU territory by externalising (that is, outsourcing) border controls to non-EU states. This report aims to contribute to public and political debate on the transparency, accountability and legitimacy of the externalisation agenda, based on case studies on three key target states for the EU – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco and Niger.
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In defence of defenders

Guide
Migration as well as supporting people in flight is increasingly treated as a criminal act in Europe. This toolkit, created by Border Violence Monitoring Network and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Thessaloniki, seeks to support affected Human Rights Defenders by showing them mechanisms and avenues for help and self-defence in cases of criminalisation at various levels.
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Beyond the Crisis Mode of the EU-Turkey Refugee Agreement

E-paper
This policy paper assesses the effects of the EU Turkey Refugee Agreement for Greece, Turkey and the European Union. It provides an overview of the 2015 context and the development of the agreement and analyses its repercussions in the region as well as for the EU as a whole. It concludes that the EU needs a strong alternative to the current agreement with Turkey, which is rights-based and sustainable.
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Intersectionality and refugee women

E-paper
This study critically examines some of the gendered and racialized notions about migrants embedded in and institutionalized through the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, by engaging with the definitory and conceptual unclarities as to who the Pact defines as “especially vulnerable groups” and according to which criteria, making a relevant contribution to ongoing debates with regard to the EU’s future migration and border politics.
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E-paper

Reception, detention and restriction of movement at EU external borders

9 July 2021
European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
Published: July 2021

This paper critically maps the current EU legal framework for deprivation of liberty and restriction on freedom of movement of migrants and asylum seekers, as well as resulting practice, to finally to discuss the 2020 legislative proposals for EU asylum reform. The discussion of the law and practice is put in the context of the international and EU human rights law framework governing deprivation of liberty and restriction on freedom of movement.
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Latest articles

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What role for skills mobility in the green agri-food transition?

Policy brief
As the EU enters a new five-year cycle, its ambitious Green Deal targets and European Climate Law face growing uncertainty due to concerns over industrial competitiveness and economic growth. Additionally, backlash against the EU’s climate policies, fuelled by farmers’ protests, could hinder the promise of a just green transition. Yet, as the planet warms rapidly, climate change will continue to affect EU economic sectors, including agriculture and food. Greater climate variability and extremes will impact global food systems, posing supply chain challenges and heightening food insecurity. These trends highlight the need to invest in sustainable agri-food systems as part of climate mitigation and adaptation. 
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EU-Lebanon deal: Turning a blind eye to reality

Commentary
Although Lebanon receives EU support to provide for Syrian refugees, they are increasingly being criminalized and deported. Less than a week after Commission President Von der Leyen’s visit in May, Lebanon issued new residence regulations that effectively block the pathways to legal residence. These new regulations were followed by deportations to Syria, which the EU does not consider safe for return. Instead of making support conditional on respect for the refugees’ human rights, the EU is turning a blind eye. 
Sara Stachelhaus
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Why Türkiye matters for Europe's migration challenges

Commentary
While the European Union is poised for alteration, it becomes important more than ever to remember why Türkiye matters for Europe’s migration challenges. The EU needs a stable Türkiye. A country in severe economic and political conditions, lacking sufficient support for refugees and migrants, perfectly illustrates the push factors that drive further migration where the EU is a near destination. A stable Türkiye benefits the EU, the population in Türkiye, and the surrounding region. This cannot be achieved with unfair policies.
Deniz S. Sert
All content on Migration & Asylum

Contributions from our foreign offices

Related content

Cover Climate Justice and Migration

Climate Justice and Migration

Study
With climate change looming, anxiety over immigration from the Global South is increasingly fuelled by apocalyptic fears of ecological breakdown. How should policymakers respond to the reality and future prospect of vast populations being displaced and relocated in an era of global heating?

"The Oranges in Europe taste better"

Study
There are many reasons to migrate: This publication provides a forum for scientists from Pakistan, Somalia and El Salvador, people, who had to flee from Syria, Burundi and Malawi as well as migrants and activists from Niger and Senegal to emphasise how little we know about "causes of migration and flight". 
Read all our publications

Related events

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Green Room #2 Interview with the Greek Ombudsman on his latest report on alleged pushbacks

Event recording
Neda Noraie-Kia, Head of Migration Policy Europe at Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Thessaloniki office, talked to the Greek Ombudsman, Mr. Andreas I. Pottakis, about his latest report on alleged pushbacks to Turkey of foreign nationals who had arrived in Greece in search for international protection. He raises serious concerns regarding the level of the protection of human rights in Greece and suggest investigation by the Greek police, but also EU policies in order to improve the transparency of the EU border and coast guard agency’s (FRONTEX).
Neda Noraie-Kia

"Out of sight, out of mind? Frontex and Human Rights at the EU Borders", 3 March 2021

"Get Lost!" European Return Policies in Practice, 1 October 2020

Closed Ports, Dubious Partners: The EU’s Policy of Outsourcing Responsibility in the Mediterranean, 2 June 2020

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