Migration has become so politicised in recent decades that even the successful integration of refugees from Ukraine will not change the European approach to people from other continents, according to the predictions of Prague-based experts.
The Temporary Protection Directive was activated for the first time since it was adopted following the start of the Ukraine war, and it brought some momentum about resolving the refugee crisis and meeting the needs of refugees. In the Czech Republic, in particular, the initial phase of assistance to refugees went well.
However, this momentum has only partially worked in terms of wider migration policy because the war in Ukraine is seen as an exceptional situation.
In a double-interview with EURACTIV Czech Republic, director of the Association for Integration and Migration Magda Faltová and deputy director of a Prague-based think-tank EUROPEUM Christian Kvorning Lassen made this point.
Experts stress that the EU and its states are applying a double standard when it comes to helping refugees from Ukraine and from other continents, mainly from Africa and the Middle East. For example, the length of the asylum procedure is completely different.
According to Faltová and Lassen, is the politicisation of the topic of migration in recent decades and its perception only through the lens of security. This is unlikely to change any time soon and is also evident in the forthcoming New Pact on Migration and Asylum reform, which focuses mainly on border protection, strengthening Frontex and return policies.
These security-related aspects will continue to play a major role, even at the expense of human rights, experts predict. That is because there is no consensus on solidarity among EU member states and probably cannot be unless the whole narrative is changed. But something like that is basically unrealistic in the foreseeable future, experts warn.
(Ondřej Plevák | EURACTIV.cz)
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