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ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION POLICY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION. Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay, associate professor University of Pécs – Faculty of Law IP CCCEU Rotterdam – 10 April 2010. TOPICS to be discussed. General topics Historical aspects The many faces of migration
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ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION POLICYIN THE EUROPEAN UNION Elisabeth Sándor-Szalay, associate professor University of Pécs – Faculty of Law IP CCCEU Rotterdam – 10 April 2010
TOPICS to be discussed General topics • Historical aspects • The many faces of migration • Institutional basis of European migration policy • Immigration policy • Integration policy • Irregular migration • Refuge and asylum • European Union citizenship Special topics • Irregular migration – gaps • Remittances – a bridge between migration and development • Promoting integration policy • Networks and their influence on migration policy • How healthy are migrants? • Skilled female labour migration • Dual citizenship • Climate change and migration
TERMINOLOGYDefinitionsinbrief • Refugee • Asylumseeker • Migrant (regular/irregular) - immigrant • Economicmigrant • IDP • Statelessperson
People: • whoareoutsidetheir country of nationalityorhabitualresidence and • have a well-foundedfearof persecutionbecauseoftheir - race, - religion, - nationality, - membership of a particularsocialgroupor - politicalopinion Refugeesshouldnot be expelledorreturned „tothefrontiers of territorieswhere [their] life orfreedomwould be threatened.” REFUGEE as describedintheRefugeeConvention of the UN (1951) – relatingtothe status of refugees
Peoplefleeing conflictsorgeneralizedviolence arealsooften and generally consideredasrefugees REFUGEE altough underlegalmechanisms OTHER thenthe 1951 Convention
Someonewho • has made a claimthat he orshe is a refugee, and • Is waitingforthatclaimto be acceptedorrejected. The termcontainno presumptioneitherway – itsimplydescribesthefactthatsomeone has lodgedtheclaim. Someasylumseekerswill be judgedtoberefugees and otherswillnot. ASYLUM SEEKER
A wide-ranging term that covers most people who • move to a foreign country • for a variety of reasons • and for a certain length of time: • usually for a minimum of a year (so as not to include very temporary visitors such as tourists, people on business visits, etc.) MIGRANT Regular/Irregular
THE TERM: MIGRANT Regular migrants Irregular migrants People staying with • the necessary residence permit • in a country of which they are not citizens • for a longer time People staying • withoutthe necessary residence permit and • withouta formal statutory temporary suspension of deportation • in a country of which they are not citizens
Someone who • takes up permanent residence • in a country other than his or her original homeland. The term can be used for regular migrants. IMMIGRANT
Someonewho • leavestheir country of origin • forfinancialreasons • ratherthanforrefugeeones. ECONOMIC MIGRANT
Someone who • has been forced to move • from his or her home • because of • conflict, persecution (refugee-like reasons) • or because of • a natural disaster or • some other unusual circumstance of this type. Unlike refugees, however, IDPs remain inside their own country !!!!!! IDP InternallyDisplacedPerson
Someone who is not considered as a national by ANY state - de jure statelessperson • Or possibly someone who does not enjoy fundamental rights enjoyed by other nationals in their home state – de facto statelessperson STATELESS PERSON Asdefinedbythe UNHCR (UN HighCommissioneronRefugees)
Statelessness can be a personal disaster: some stateless people live in a netherworld where they do not officially exist and therefore have virtually no rights at all. • Unlike the other groups outlined here, they may have never moved away from the place where they were born. • But some other stateless people are also refugees. STATELESSNESS
Findingdurablesolutions Three main optionsexist – mainlyforrefugees: • Voluntaryrepatriation = is thepreferredlong-termsolution, assoonascircumstances permit • Local integration = eitherintheasylum country orinthirdcountries • Resettlement = only a smallnumber of countriestake part inresettlementprogrammes and acceptquotas of refugeeson an annualbasis.
BACK TO THE GENERAL TOPICS HistoricalDevelopment of Migrationinthe European Union
Historicaldiversity 1. Formercolonialstates Guestworkermodel Thiscountrieswerealreadyimmigrationcountriesinthe 19th century, suchas: • Belgium • France • United Kingdom Thiscountriesbecomecountries of immigrationaftertheSecond World War, suchas: • Germany • Austria
Historicaldiversity 2. Southern EU MemberStates (transitcountriesatthe „gates of Europe” untilthe 1980’s) • Italy • Portugal • Spain • Greece
Historicaldiversity 3. New EU MemberStates (East and Southeast) Theyhavebeenessentiallyemigrationcountriessincethefall of theIronCurtain Butsincejoiningthe EU in 2004 and 2007 – theyhaverapidlydevelopedintoreceveingcountries, eventhoughsome of themcurrentlystillrecord more emigrantsthanimmigrants.
The manyfaces of Migrationinthe EU 1.- interms of numbers Receivingcountries Negativeimmigration c. • Spain • Italy • CzechRepublik • Belgium • Sweden • Germany • Greece • Austria • Denmark • BalticStates • Bulgaria • Poland • Netherlands
The manyFaces… 2. Legalcategories – strongdifferences • Labourmigration– dominatesincountrieswith less regulatedlabourmarkets (UK, Ireland, CzechRepublik, Denmark) • Familyreunification(especiallyapparentin France and Sweden) • Both categoriesinsimilarpercentage (Italy, Germany) • Specialcategory: „Spätaussiedler” – ethnicGermanimmigrantsfromthecountries of theformerSoviet Union)
The manyFaces…3. Geographicalorigin of immigrantgroups reflects • Historicalexperiences • Geographicalproximity Forexample: Portugal = Cape Verde, Brazil, Angola Spain = Ecuador, Morocco Turkishcitizens = Germany, Denmark, Netherlands Greece = Albania Etc.
The manyFaces…4. Level of qualification • Good educationoruniversitydegree – highskillmigrants • Lowskilledmigrants Onlythe UK records almost equalpercentages of highly and lowskilledmigrants.
General topics – wewillnotaddressnow • InstitutionalBasis of European Migration Policy – Youhaveworkedit out duringthepreparatorywork • Immigration Policy • Integration Policy – generallyspeaking • IrregularMigration – generallyspeaking • Refugee and Asylum – generallyspeaking
EU citizenship • Whocan be EU citizen? – everyperson holding thenationality of a memberstate • Whocan hold thenationality of a memberstate? – it is uptothenationalregulation of the MS • Whataboutthenaturalisationregulations?
Jussoliregulationsinthe old MS Forsecondgenerationuponreachingtheage of majority Belgium Finnland France UK Italy Netherlands Sweden (!) Forsecondgenerationuponbirth Belgium Germany Ireland Portugal UK Forthirdgeneration Belgium France Nehterlands Portugal Spain No jussoli Austria Denmark Greece Luxemburg
CONCLUDING REMARCS Specialtopicsfor 2011
European asylumand immigration policy • Expectations of citizens who credit the EU withspecialroleinsolvingthesematters • Twocontroversies 1. Standardisation v. safeguardsovereignty 2. Internalsecurity v. universal human rights, humanitarianvalues and economicpriorities
Somefurtherquestion… Whatrights and obligationsdoes a refugeehave? Whathappenswhengovernmentscan’torwon’tprovidehelp?
Somefurtherquestion… Arepeoplewhofleewarzonesrefugees? Cangovernmentsdeportpeoplewhoarefoundnotto be refugees?
Somefurtherquestion… Can a warcriminalorterrorist be a refugee? Can a soldier be refugee?
Further… Doallrefugeeshaveto go trough an asylumdeterminationprocess? What is „temporaryprotection”?
Thankyouforyourattention! Have a niceweekend!