Migration in Europe

Since the refugee crisis started during the summer of 2015, the migration dynamics in the European space have been altered. Indeed, 2015 was a pivotal year with more than 1.28 million asylum applications filed.

The migration flow is managed in accordance with the Dublin regulation, with asylum applications being processed mainly in the countries of entry to the European territory. Although a system of relocation of asylum seekers has been adopted, its implementation is largely limited by the reluctance of Member States to show more solidarity in receiving migrants. This is why migration flows are particularly concentrated in the countries of arrival of the migration routes: Italy, Greece, Spain and Malta.

The protectionist policies of the European Union, which are illustrated in particular by the FRONTEX agency, the EURODAC system, or the Ankara agreement, are creating greater precariousness for migrants who are taking ever-greater risks.

To know more about the EU-Turkey Statement on refugees you can read this paper

More recently, a Pact on Migration and Asylum was proposed by the European Commission on 23/09/2020. Another novelty concerning the period 2021-2027 is the EU's Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion. The main points of this Plan are the following ones :

• Improving employment opportunities and skills recognition

• Inclusive education and training

• Promoting access to health services

• Facilitating access to adequate and affordable housing

OCC is already working on three of these priorities with the housing project and the MigraCode project which provides access to education and employability.

Despite these new European legislations facilitating integration, we can observe that the situation of illegal immigrants has worsened in recent years, especially with the Covid-19 health crisis.

Divergences between European governments

Concerning migrations and integration to the European society, we can observe some divergences between European governments. For example, Germany has welcomed more migrants following the summer 2015 crisis. We should be aware that it is not only because of the defence of human rights but also to strengthen its economy thanks to the new workforce and demography. States that are part of the Visegrád Group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) have another political orientation about integration.

The policies and governments of these countries are often seen in the West as nationalistic and xenophobic. In August 2018, Viktor Orbán, supported by the other Visegrád countries and Austria, joined forces with Italy, led by Matteo Salvini, to form an 'anti-immigration axis'. However, although Italy and Hungary agree that mass migration should stop completely, they disagree on how to deal with the migrants already in the EU. Italy wants them to be redistributed to other EU countries, but the Visegrád states are opposed to accepting any migrants.