CLC’s team, led by Mr. Achilleas Tsirgis, BSc International And European Studies University of Piraeus, mentored and supervised our students Ioanna Dri, Konstantina Dors, Odysseas Presvytis, Irini Livanou, Georgios Sougioutzoglou, Christina Palamidi, Anna-Eleni Tsoutsani and Eleni Vogiatzi to carry out a research project on the management of migration issue by the European Union.
The largely acclaimed EU’s failure to respond to the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis and the impressive rapidity with which the EU handled the influx of migrants after the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine constitute two diametrically opposite demonstrations of the EU’s capacity to deal with migration. While academics have in the past focused on the role of identity politics, geopolitics, and multi-level governance (MLG) in decision[1]making between the two events, there has been little to no comparative research into the institutional and legal mechanisms that were utilized to respond to the two crises. To this extent, this article aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the institutional mechanisms of the EU Migration and Asylum Policy in 2015 and 2022. By showcasing the calcifications of the institutional framework that led to the mismanagement of the 2015 Syrian Refugee Crisis and by effectively attributing the success in handling the influx of migrants after 2022 in external factors beyond institutional evolution, the article showcases the failure of the EU Migration and Asylum Policy to evolve and adapt. In light of the increasing likelihood of a future migration crisis due to climate change, conflict, and civil unrest, the article highlights policy recommendations for future integration in the EU Migration and Asylum Policy.
