The EU: sanctuary or fortress for refugees?

Abstract

In the context of the so-called "refugee crisis" starting in 2015, the European Union (EU) has had a rather inconsistent approach to refugee inflows. The EU simultaneously stressed its commitment to offering protection to people fleeing wars and persecutions as well as developed cooperation with non-European countries, such as Turkey or Afghanistan, in order to constrain migrants within countries where they are from or which they are crossing on their way to Europe. Researching these cooperation policies matters, not only because they have huge impacts on migrants' lives and might lead to further persecutions, torture or even death by preventing these people to reach Europe and thus, the protection that they deserve according to international treaties. It also matters because these policies are used by the EU to impose the burden of refugees on the poorest countries in the world, rather than sharing it with developed countries.