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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Migration and the Mediterranean: The EU’s Response to the “European Refugee Crisis”

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This chapter describes and examines the origin, nature and development of the so-called “European refugee crisis” and particularly analyzes the internal and external measures taken by the EU and its Member States in response to it. Our inquiry focuses on the following measures: (1) hotspots and emergency support for affected Member States, (2) relocation, (3) resettlement and other legal ways of entry, (4) the CEAS reform, (5) addressing irregular migration through border controls and countering smuggling and trafficking, (6) return and readmission, (7) the EU–Turkey Statement, (8) additional cooperation with third countries as well as (8) (trust) funds to support regions of origin and transit. We argue that the EU’s overall response to the crisis has been more substantial and comprehensive than commonly perceived. However, we also hold that proper internal solutions and particularly a sustainable restructuring of responsibility among Member States have not materialized, and that a growing securitization and externalization of responsibilities by the EU have come to dominate human rights and refugee protection considerations.