Publications

The wave of asylum seekers that arrived in Europe over 2015-2016 generated a major challenge for the EU. The need to provide for over a million people, most of whom fled from regions of conflict, created major tensions among the EU countries with respect to the division of the asylum seekers. This tension threatened the unity and stability of the EU, both internally within each member country and likewise between the member countries. In the domestic-political realm, Eurosceptic politicians have exploited the fear of asylum seekers among the public in order to attack the EU and strengthen the opposition to European integration in their respective countries. This dividing issue was one of the main factors behind Britain’s decision to leave the EU. In addition, the opposition to acceptance of the asylum seekers led to serious friction between the gateway countries, namely Greece and Italy, which have been saddled with the burden of initially absorbing the asylum seekers, and the northern and eastern EU countries, which have refused to accept the principle of a fair division of asylum seekers among the EU members. Even the decision of the European Commission, which was ratified by the European Court of Justice, did not lead to a policy that was agreed upon by EU members. The combination of unbending political opposition to accept the asylum seekers, the lack of strong EU institutions to deal with immigration matters, and the low level of solidarity among the European countries is likely to become an even more serious threat to the EU if the arrival of asylum seekers continues at a high rate.