Migration and asylum

The externalisation of migration and asylum management by the EU raises numerous ethical, legal and operational questions. Externalisation agreements exacerbate the vulnerabilities of displaced people in search for safety, as they force them to resort to smuggling or trafficking rings. This dossier by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's Thessaloniki office provides the space for this timely discussion on the intersection between human rights and foreign and security policy and its expression in terms of migration policies globally.

From 2024 to 2027, Egypt is slated to receive more EU aid than any other country, under a migration agreement which aims to prevent the arrival of refugees and migrants into the European Union.

Externalisation is increasingly seen as a lever for solving the EU’s migration issues, yet poses serious legal, ethical and practical problems. 

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. 

Migration and asylum have been at the top of the agenda in the EU for some time now. Thereby, the discussion is less about solving problems or addressing the suffering of people on the move, but more about preventing people from reaching European soil. This is neither good for the people seeking refuge in our continent, nor beneficial to the political debate on these issues.

The rise of Spain's far-right Vox party is exploiting fears of migrants and unaccompanied minors, but civil society is fighting back with pro-migrant legislation and efforts to preserve historical memory against Francoist nostalgia, as well as LGTBI rights.

Czech populists are on a roll, partly due to the antisocial policies of the country's right-wing government. While liberals put the blame on disinformation, the left continues to languish or to flirt with fascist ideas. And migrant-phobia has long become mainstream.  

Through the stories of eleven asylum seekers, the video series "Lost in a legal maze" by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Thessaloniki office aims to reveal the difficulties of navigating a legal system designed to fail them. In these five-minute episodes, filmed in Greece in November 2023, eleven refugees in different stages of their asylum procedures share on camera their own legal journey – from pushbacks to unjustified rejections to retroactive laws.

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.

The European Commission has signed a new agreement with Egypt. One of the aims is to reduce migration to Europe. But this will most likely not succeed.

The debate on migration and asylum is highly polarised in Europe. Public discourses are often based on stereotypes and fear, rather than on actual facts and figures. The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung is committed to supporting transparency and an informed factual debate on migration. Independent journalism can play a key role in this context. Our studies on mainstream media reporting in the region however revealed an often-biased view on migration and people on the move. This dossier aims at offering an alternative view to readers by gathering independent investigations and analyses, supported by us, on the realities regarding migration along the so-called Balkan route.

The EU Commission, the European Parliament and EU Member States are negotiating a reform of the common asylum policy. The comprehensive reform package contains a large number of legislative proposals that would have massive consequences for asylum seekers.

In August, wildfires in Evros killed a group of people, including children, passing along a well-trodden migration route. Locals and politicians made the victims scapegoats for the disaster. First piece of our 2023 Climate Disinformation Fellowship by Giorgos Christides and Katy Fallon. Photos by Alexandros Avramidis.

In her address, European Commission President von der Leyen missed the opportunity to develop bold proposals for the future. This contribution analyses her informal bid for a second term in office by looking at her thematic focuses.

World Refugee Day obliges us to take stock of the brutal reality at our EU's external borders. We cannot shirk our responsibility for humanity or outsource responsibility.

The UNHCR and the IOM jointly called upon Italy and all EU Member States who abide by applicable legislation, to protect people and distribute responsibility within the EU fairly. Humanity and the Rule of Law are in the EU’s most basic interests – if these go unheeded at its external borders, they can hardly be defended within.

The UK’s plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda – even before their applications have been concluded – may have been halted just in time this time, but the government is still pushing forward with its controversial plans.

Some 100 million people are currently forcibly displaced worldwide. This year's World Refugee Day therefore, once again, marks a sad record: never before have there been so many refugees as this year, according to UNHCR figures. The brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has played a part in that.

Since the start of Russia's war against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, three and a half million people have fled the country. A conversation with Tineke Strik MEP on the triggering of the EU Temporary Protection Directive and what chances and challenges come with it.

Civil society players have been working hard for years to safeguard the fundamental rights of people seeking asylum in Europe. This has made them the target of an aggressive policy of deterrence, endangering both refugees and solidarity work itself.