Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CONDISOBS (Contain, Distribute, Obstruct. Governing the Mobility of Asylum Seekers in the European Union)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-01-15 bis 2022-01-14
In recent years, the media often reported cases of migrants who were found dead in the Alps, near the borders between Italy and its bordering countries. Whether they occurred on alpine trails connecting France and Italy or on the rails at Brenner, at the border between Austria and Italy, these tragedies revealed how borders still violently matter for some people, even within the supposed borderless space of the Schengen area. The migrants embarking in these perilous journeys are obliged to cross borders “illegally” because of the cornerstone of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS): the Dublin III Regulation. This regulation requires newly arrived migrants to apply for asylum in the first country through which they enter the European Union (EU). In this way, migrants are prevented from choosing where to live, from joining relatives and friends, and from reaching places where they speak the language of the host society. Yet, as the tragedies reported in the last few years show, migratory movements within the EU persist despite the Dublin III Regulation, but they are exposed to increasingly dangerous conditions.
Migration within the EU became particularly evident during the so-called “refugee crisis” in 2015, when hundreds of thousands of migrants travelled across Europe, refusing to stay in the first country of entry. Since then, EU’s institutions and member states have intensified their efforts to control the mobility of migrants. So-called “hotspot” facilities were set up in border points in the Greek Aegean islands and in southern Italy to stop all newly arrived migrants, register them and collect their fingerprints. Relocation schemes gave the possibility to restricted groups of migrants to be transferred from the first country of arrival to another member state. Finally, some member states strengthened internal border controls within the Schengen area to prevent migrants from travelling within Europe.
The H2020 project CONDISOBS explored these attempts to govern migrant mobility with a view to understanding their effectiveness as well as their effects on migrants and on the local communities that are affected by these processes. The project was driven by the following research question: Do hotspots, relocation and border controls successfully limit the autonomous mobility of migrants within Europe? The main objective of CONDISOBS was to understand whether these measures have been successful in containing newly arrived migrants in the first country of entry and reducing unauthorised movements between member states.
The research highlighted several problematic aspects at stake in the implementation of the hotspot approach and relocation. First, the study showed how the attempt to contain migrants in the first country of entry has resulted in the massive detention of asylum seekers, widespread violations of human rights and arbitrary restriction to the access to the asylum procedure. The case of Aegean islands is exemplary in this regard, as they have been transformed into extended containment zones where newly arrived migrants are blocked for a long time. Second, CONDISOBS identified several shortcomings that have undermined the overall success of relocation, particularly with respect to its ability to contribute to a fairer distribution of asylum seekers between member states. Most notably, the main weaknesses of relocation concern the eligibility criteria adopted to select relocation candidates, the discretion left to receiving member states in selecting migrants to be relocated, the overall opacity of these procedures and the imposition of the destination on candidates. Third, the study revealed that unauthorised mobility from countries like Greece and Italy towards other EU destinations continues, although most newly arrived migrants are now fingerprinted upon arrival in the hotspots. The persistence of (attempts of) border crossings across the Alps and along the Balkan route demonstrate that the hotspot approach and relocation do not stop unauthorised movements between member states. Instead, mobility is rather subject to increasingly violent border practices and forced to extremely dangerous routes.
Migration within the EU became particularly evident during the so-called “refugee crisis” in 2015, when hundreds of thousands of migrants travelled across Europe, refusing to stay in the first country of entry. Since then, EU’s institutions and member states have intensified their efforts to control the mobility of migrants. So-called “hotspot” facilities were set up in border points in the Greek Aegean islands and in southern Italy to stop all newly arrived migrants, register them and collect their fingerprints. Relocation schemes gave the possibility to restricted groups of migrants to be transferred from the first country of arrival to another member state. Finally, some member states strengthened internal border controls within the Schengen area to prevent migrants from travelling within Europe.
The H2020 project CONDISOBS explored these attempts to govern migrant mobility with a view to understanding their effectiveness as well as their effects on migrants and on the local communities that are affected by these processes. The project was driven by the following research question: Do hotspots, relocation and border controls successfully limit the autonomous mobility of migrants within Europe? The main objective of CONDISOBS was to understand whether these measures have been successful in containing newly arrived migrants in the first country of entry and reducing unauthorised movements between member states.
The research highlighted several problematic aspects at stake in the implementation of the hotspot approach and relocation. First, the study showed how the attempt to contain migrants in the first country of entry has resulted in the massive detention of asylum seekers, widespread violations of human rights and arbitrary restriction to the access to the asylum procedure. The case of Aegean islands is exemplary in this regard, as they have been transformed into extended containment zones where newly arrived migrants are blocked for a long time. Second, CONDISOBS identified several shortcomings that have undermined the overall success of relocation, particularly with respect to its ability to contribute to a fairer distribution of asylum seekers between member states. Most notably, the main weaknesses of relocation concern the eligibility criteria adopted to select relocation candidates, the discretion left to receiving member states in selecting migrants to be relocated, the overall opacity of these procedures and the imposition of the destination on candidates. Third, the study revealed that unauthorised mobility from countries like Greece and Italy towards other EU destinations continues, although most newly arrived migrants are now fingerprinted upon arrival in the hotspots. The persistence of (attempts of) border crossings across the Alps and along the Balkan route demonstrate that the hotspot approach and relocation do not stop unauthorised movements between member states. Instead, mobility is rather subject to increasingly violent border practices and forced to extremely dangerous routes.
CONDISOBS conducted a multi-sited qualitative study of the governance of the mobility of asylum seekers in the EU. It focused on the implementation of the hotspot approach in Greece and in Italy; the implementation of relocation measures in Greece, Italy and Luxembourg; and the secondary movements of migrants from Greece, Italy and Luxembourg. The study drew on 35 in-depth semi-structured interviews with a range of different actors, including state officials, representatives of international organisations and non-governmental organisations, lawyers, social workers, and activists. Interviews were conducted between October 2020 and June 2021. An extensive analysis of the literature as well as of policy documents, institutional and non-governmental reports on hotspots, relocation, secondary movements was also carried out. The research was accompanied by an extensive training programme that aimed to develop research, specialist, and transversal skills of the researcher.
CONDISOBS produced several outputs targeting both academic and non-academic audiences. Three policy papers on the hotspot approach and its implementation were published. Research findings were presented at four international conferences and in a webinar. The project was presented in a research seminar and at a public exhibition. One peer-reviewed journal article was published, one is currently under review, and another one is currently in preparation. A website was created to inform the public about the research and its results. The website serves as the main gateway to all the outputs of the project, all of which are available open access. Further research outputs will follow in the coming months, thanks to the wealth of empirical data that was collected.
CONDISOBS produced several outputs targeting both academic and non-academic audiences. Three policy papers on the hotspot approach and its implementation were published. Research findings were presented at four international conferences and in a webinar. The project was presented in a research seminar and at a public exhibition. One peer-reviewed journal article was published, one is currently under review, and another one is currently in preparation. A website was created to inform the public about the research and its results. The website serves as the main gateway to all the outputs of the project, all of which are available open access. Further research outputs will follow in the coming months, thanks to the wealth of empirical data that was collected.
Through a wide range of academic and non-academic outputs, CONDISOBS informs debates on EU asylum and migration politics. From a scientific standpoint, it contributes to academic scholarship on asylum, migration and borders in the European context through unique, first-hand qualitative data on hotspots, relocation and secondary movements. CONDISOBS identifies containment, distribution and obstruction, as three key axes along which the reconfiguration of EU asylum and border policies has occurred after the so-called “refugee crisis”.
At policy level, CONDISOBS addresses debates on the reform of the CEAS and the Dublin III Regulation. Through its policy papers, which include recommendations based on empirical evidence, the project seeks to have an impact on policymaking in the field of asylum and border management in the EU. CONDISOBS also makes a contribution at the broader societal level through a comprehensive communication plan targeting non-academic audiences. The project brings benefits to the society at large by producing knowledge and raising awareness on the conditions of newly arrived migrants (including asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors) at EU’s external borders and on the drawbacks of current EU asylum and border policies. Furthermore, CONDISOBS draws attention to a key issue for the future of the EU and its integration project, that is the ability of EU institutions and its member states to reach an agreement on a fair and feasible management of asylum, migration and borders.
At policy level, CONDISOBS addresses debates on the reform of the CEAS and the Dublin III Regulation. Through its policy papers, which include recommendations based on empirical evidence, the project seeks to have an impact on policymaking in the field of asylum and border management in the EU. CONDISOBS also makes a contribution at the broader societal level through a comprehensive communication plan targeting non-academic audiences. The project brings benefits to the society at large by producing knowledge and raising awareness on the conditions of newly arrived migrants (including asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors) at EU’s external borders and on the drawbacks of current EU asylum and border policies. Furthermore, CONDISOBS draws attention to a key issue for the future of the EU and its integration project, that is the ability of EU institutions and its member states to reach an agreement on a fair and feasible management of asylum, migration and borders.