New Delhi, 7th July, 2020
Migration and the governance related to it has been a bone of contention for quite some time in world politics. The current pandemic has now intensified the discussions related to the institutions and the policies that are in place and also those which are in the process of being implemented.
While there are a host of global treaties and standards in place to deal with issues of migration, there is an urgent need to scrutinize the provisions at the regional level. According to the migration experts, it is important that we bring different local and regional stakeholders like the government, NGOs and other legal bodies to the table and begin an effective discussion aimed at finding a convenient solution for the migrants who are often left to face the worst consequences of any crisis.
A panel discussion was organized by the Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism , (GRFDT), Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Cross Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants on ‘Global and Regional Migration Governance During COVID 19 Pandemic’ on July 7, 2020 with the objective of bringing a diverse range of opinions on this issue from a number of distinguished experts on migration. The following report focuses on Prof. Andrew Geddes’s talk on the European regional policies regarding migration.
Prof. Geddes is a scholar of Migration Studies and Director of the Migration Policy Centre, Italy. He talked about the governance of migration in Europe as it has some interesting lessons for governance at the global level. He focused mainly on four aspects- crisis, policy, politics and the future.
No changes in sight
“Governance arrangements, institutions of laws, policies and the ideas that inform them have huge implications for migration. So governance is very important as it’s not a reaction to migration but rather shapes it”, said Prof. Geddes.
Prof. Geddes is of the opinion that neither the financial crisis of 2008 nor the migration crisis of 2015 led to any significant policy changes. The direction of the EU migration asylum policy was established in the early 1990s and he doesn’t expect the current pandemic to lead to any fundamental changes as well.
“I would be surprised if there are changes because I think the choices have been made for some time and are deeply embedded.”
Absence of solidarity
Discussing about the EU policies, Prof. Geddes pointed out that there is a big contrast between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ dimensions of policies. “The ‘internal’ dimension essentially refers to the free movement of mobility provisions that are kind of the founding principles of EU dating back to the 1950s. They have been realized through the 1960s with important legal developments which provide rights of premium for EU citizens”.
“The measures that applied to non EU citizens was developed since the 1990s is what we call the external dimension of migration and asylum policy”.
The big issue here- the relationship between the internal and external policy in EU is mediated by the idea of solidarity between the member states. For Prof. Geddes, it is the absence of an effective solidarity between the member states that has led to a greater emphasis on offloading or externalizing migration policies to non-member states.
A polarized continent but not negative
Polarization has been a salient feature of the public debates regarding migration in Europe. But for Prof. Geddes, it doesn’t mean that the attitudes towards migration have been totally negative. Over the last twenty years, attitudes to migration from within and from outside the EU have become more favourable in Europe which is in contrast to the popular perception.
“It’s a complete misunderstanding to imagine there is an increased anti-immigration sentiment in Europe”.
“What there has been is an increased attention to the issue and increased salience of it in public debates. Not a change in attitude in a more opposed way to immigration”.
According to Prof. Geddes, what is more important now is a new dividing line in European policies which often centers on understanding the effects of globalization. On the one side are people who are more faithful to globalization with the other side consisting of those who are opposed to globalization, immigration and integration.
This is the issue which makes the politics of Europe different from other regions because of the way EU has been institutionalized as an organization with legal authority. It’s presence as an institution with its own law-making power is a contentious issue in European politics with both approving and opposing groups participating in the conversation.
New policies a trial of globalization
Talking about what lies ahead of EU in near future, Prof. Geddes urges the authorities to look at the recent past as a point of reference while formulating policies.He sees an imminent development in the form of a new compact on migration which the European Commission is currently developing with a view to develop a common European response to migration.
“The response to this compact will be very important because it will show to us either the opportunities for deeper regional integration or the limits to it. We will see the potential limits of regionalism if the compact is unable to secure the support of member states.”
Such a limitation of regional unity will also lead to limiting globalization. Any attainment of global objectives depends fundamentally upon regions and the incorporating global standards into regional norms and practices.
Report by Subhadip Mukherjee, he is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in English at the University of Delhi. His interest areas include Postcolonial studies, Transnationalism, Cosmopolitanism, Diaspora literature, Literary theory, Indian writing in English and Climate fiction. You can connect with him on his Twitter account @SubhadipMuk.