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Migration to Europe: A Threat or an Opportunity?

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The EU in the 21st Century

Abstract

The EU has been highly shaken by a deep political crisis revealed through the migration crisis. Indeed, this migration issue qualified as a “crisis” is the consequence of a continuous arrival of economic and political migrants coming from conflicting zones (Syria, Afghanistan) or from poor economic zones (sub-Saharan Africa, Horn of Africa). They are seeking asylum in Europe, perceived as a model in human protection. This wave of migration became widely intensified during the last decade with a peak in the year 2015, mainly coming from the blockage to solve the Syrian conflict. The opened political positions of some Member States, such as Germany at the time of the crisis, widely incited the migrants to join the old continent. It is an opportunity or a threat is still under debate. How the European Union should address such a vital issue for its own citizens and the organization? The majority of the European states and people require decisions, but the model now to be implemented will define Europe in the current century.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Foster (2018).

  2. 2.

    Schultze (2015).

  3. 3.

    Article 3. Available at: https://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/Convention_ENG.pdf.

  4. 4.

    “[…] owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it”. (Article 1 of the 1951 Refugee Convention).

  5. 5.

    https://www.unhcr.org/protection/basic/3b73b0d63/states-parties-1951-convention-its-1967-protocol.html.

  6. 6.

    Article 79 TFUE. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT.

  7. 7.

    Article 17 on the movement of people: “[the Parties] shall endeavour first to harmonise, where necessary, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions concerning the prohibitions and restrictions on which the checks are based and to take complementary measures to safeguard internal security and prevent illegal immigration by nationals of States that are not members of the European Communities.”.

  8. 8.

    See. Council regulation No 2007/2004.

  9. 9.

    Regulation EU No 604/2013. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R0604&from=EN.

  10. 10.

    See. Court of Justice which in the case of Abdullahi (Case C-394/12, judgement of 10 December 2013).

    *Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain

  11. 11.

    Statement of the European commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship. Available at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-1340_en.htm.

  12. 12.

    The 10 point plan. Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4813_en.htm.

  13. 13.

    The European Agenda on Migration (EAM). Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/background-information/docs/communication_on_the_european_agenda_on_migration_en.pdf.

  14. 14.

    EU Decision 1523/2015 and EU Decision 1601/2015.

  15. 15.

    Speech on the State of the Union. Available at http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/soteu/docs/state_of_the_union_2015_en.pdf.

  16. 16.

    EU-Turkey Refugee statement. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/background-information/eu_turkey_statement_17032017_en.pdf.

  17. 17.

    The EU and Tunisia start negotiations on visa facilitation and readmission. Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-3394_en.htm.

  18. 18.

    Memorandum of understanding. Available at http://www.asgi.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ITALY-LIBYA-MEMORANDUM-02.02.2017.pdf.

  19. 19.

    Also, Germany (29%), the UK (37%), Spain (46%).

  20. 20.

    If somebody takes masses of non-registered immigrants from the Middle East into a country, this also means importing terrorism, criminalism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia”. Viktor Orban. Available at: https://www.budapesttimes.hu/2016/03/03/i-maintain-basic-values-europe.

  21. 21.

    Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/index.cfm?action=furl.go&go=/news/hungary-xenophobia-at-its-peak&pdf=1).

  22. 22.

    European Parliament elections results of May 2019. Available at: https://www.election-results.eu/.

  23. 23.

    See. V. Orban.

  24. 24.

    Speech delivered in 2015. Available at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-15-5614_en.htm.

  25. 25.

    Spring 2016 Global Attitudes Survey, in Pew Research Center. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/09/16/european-opinions-of-the-refugee-crisis-in-5-charts/.

  26. 26.

    72% of the polled europeans want the EU to do more when it comes to asylum and migration. “EU migrant crisis: facts and figures”, 30 June 2017, European Parliament. Available at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20170629STO78630/eu-migrant-crisis-facts-and-figures.

  27. 27.

    Available at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article56017690.html.

  28. 28.

    Jean-Claude Juncker Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2019. Available at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jeanclaude_juncker_887348, accessed 15 June 2019.

  29. 29.

    Article 7 TEU. Available at. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:12012M007.

  30. 30.

    ECHR Grand chamber judgement 21 January 2011 in the case of M.S.S. v. BELGIUM AND GREECE, (Application no. 30696/09).

  31. 31.

    See www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2015/10/15-16/ and Opening Speech at Valetta Conference. Available at: www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/11-tuskopening-statement-valletta-summit/.

Secondary References

Decision Justice

  • Court of Justice which in the case of Abdullahi (Case C-394/12, judgment of 10 December 2013).

    Google Scholar 

  • ECHR Grand chamber judgement 21 January 2011 in the case of M.S.S. v. BELGIUM AND GREECE, (Application no. 30696/09).

    Google Scholar 

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Correspondence to Lara Sansus .

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Primarily References

Primarily References

Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

  • Article 3: prohibiting any torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Convention relating to the status of refugees, 1951.

  • Article 1 on the Definition of refugee.

  • Article 33 on the “Principle of non-refoulement”.

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 2007.

  • Article 78 (3) of the TFUE on the urgent relocation.

  • Article 79 (5) of the TFEU on the competencies in the establishment of the common immigration policy.

  • Article 80 of the TFUE on the principle of solidarity.

Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement of 14 June 1985 between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders.

  • Article 17 of the Schengen Borders Code

  • Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code

Treaty of the European Union, 1992.

  • Article 2 TEU.

  • Article 7 TEU.

Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 establishing a European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union.

  • Article 2 on the competencies of Frontex.

  • Article 3 on the launching of common projects. 1

European Commission (2015) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and Council. A European Border and Coast Guard and effective management of Europe’s external borders. Available at: goo.gl/ipJMy5 (7. 3. 2018).

EU Decision 1523/2015 and EU Decision 1601/2015 on the relocation plans.

EU-Turkey Refugee statement. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-migration/background-information/eu_turkey_statement_17032017_en.pdf.

Memorandum of understanding. Available at http://www.asgi.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ITALY-LIBYA-MEMORANDUM-02.02.2017.pdf.

Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national or a stateless person (recast).

Regulation (EU) No 1168/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 establishing a European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union.

Regulation (EU) No 2016/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2016 on the European Border and Coast Guard and amending Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulation (EC) No 863/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 and Council Decision 2005/267/EC.

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Sansus, L., Ramiro Troitiño, D., Kerikmäe, T. (2020). Migration to Europe: A Threat or an Opportunity?. In: Ramiro Troitiño, D., Kerikmäe, T., de la Guardia, R., Pérez Sánchez, G. (eds) The EU in the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38399-2_5

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