European migration policy
The European migration policy is the more or less coordinated democratic decision-making processes and actions of the European countries in migration, asylum procedures and combating causes.
development
The countries of Europe were often the destination of immigrants from other countries in Europe as well as from other countries. With the many wars in the Middle East, Far East, Africa and other countries, the number of people fleeing to European countries increased sharply from 2012 onwards. In 2015, more than 60 million people worldwide were on the run from violence, dictatorship, terror, war and poverty. This was the highest number since the end of World War II in 1945.
The EU's migration policy
With the establishment of the European Union , migration policy in Europe also became a community policy. It plays an increasingly important role in the political fields of integration , migration and asylum law in a Europe without internal borders. The supranational EU has issued various directives, especially in the area of asylum policy, which the member states are required to implement in national law. The influence of the European Union is exemplified by the current draft for an anti-discrimination law , which is based on EU guidelines.
Petra Bendel distinguishes three phases in European migration and asylum policy:
- 1957–1990: coordinated policies of the EU states
- 1990–1999: increased cooperation between the EU states
- 1999 – today: Common Migration Policy
Cooperation between the individual states
From 1990 to 1999 the number of asylum applications rose and some European countries agreed on cooperation and the distribution of asylum seekers. The following agreements were made:
- Schengen Implementation Convention
- Dublin Convention 1997
- The Maastricht Treaty has been in force since 1993 and defines asylum policy as a task of common interest and thus a joint task.
Legislative structures
In the course of this communitarisation of asylum policy , immigration policy and refugee policy , the supranational authority has now adopted corresponding joint guidelines that are binding for the member states. This was accompanied by the endowment of the European Parliament with more legislative power. The European Commission can initiate legislative proposals of greater importance. These in turn require the consent of the Council of the European Union (see also Directive (EU) , Regulation (EU) , European Union legislation ).
Political development
Until 1990 the EU had no competences in migration policy. Each state regulated its own interests and there were only initial joint agreements in areas such as the fight against crime. In 1989 the wall fell and the 'iron curtain' had opened; therefore, in 1990, European migration policy gained in importance. The Amsterdam Treaty , which has been in force since 1999 , shifts the competencies of the individual member states on migration and asylum to Brussels.
For a common policy on migration in relation to other areas, see also: Hague Program (2005–2010), Stockholm Program (2010–2014).
European debate on quotas for the reception of refugees
In 2015, there were repeated disputes between the EU member states about the number of refugees to be admitted and any redistribution of refugees to be introduced in Europe, as states in Eastern Europe in particular have so far refused to accept more refugees or to agree to a refugee quota. As early as 2010, the EU Commission examined the political, financial, legal and practical possibilities of redistributing asylum seekers between European countries in a study.
Migration and Brexit
Individual evidence
- ↑ Petra Bendel and Marianne Haase : When was that? History of European migration policy up to today. Ed .: Federal Agency for Civic Education . January 29, 2008 ( HTML [accessed September 12, 2010]).
- ^ Study on the Feasibility of Establishing a Mechanism for the Relocation of Beneficiaries of International Protection. European Commission, July 2010, accessed on November 28, 2018 .