Will Tailor-made Migration Deals help to solve the European Migration 'Crisis'?

Abstract

When the refugee ‘crisis’ is referred to the focus is usually placed on large and uncontrollable flows of refugees coming to Europe. The real ‘crisis’, at least in terms of numbers, however clearly takes place somewhere else. In Lebanon 19% of the current population consists of Syrian refugees. In Europe this is only 0,06%. Apart from the fact that most people prefer to stay in neighboring countries Europe as a region is also deliberately keeping the numbers of refugees low by introducing more restrictive migration laws at their own borders, as well as across borders like for example the recent deal with Turkey where border control is externalized. In this chapter we argue that the refugee crisis is not about the inflow of refugees, but about Europe’s internal sense of a crisis and that migration deals are not a satisfactory answer to the crisis. Looking back in time we see that there have been numerous examples of migration deals, partnerships, agreements but that up to now these deals have not been able to turn the tide and solve the migration ‘crisis’. We argue that in order to find a sustainable solution more attention needs to be given to providing legal pathways to migration (instead of stopping migration). Instead of spending billions of Euros on border controls and Frontex ships, reception camps and detention centres, asylum procedures, deportations and reception centres etc. we call for an alternative approach: Investing in job creation infrastructure in ‘hospitable places’ via local authorities.