Bibliotheken Online

Central Europe and the Refugee Question: Cooperation, not Confrontation

Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik - ÖGfE; Gabi Göbl ; Christian Kvorning Lassen ; Marko Lovec ; Milan Nic ; Paul Schmidt

Buch

englisch

Göbl, Gabi DNB
Lassen, Christian Kvorning DNB
Lovec, Marko DNB
Nic, Milan DNB
Schmidt, Paul DNB

ÖGfE Policy Brief

22

ÖGfE

Wien

2016

7 p.

refugee policy

The uncoordinated approaches in Central Europe in dealing with the increased arrivals of refugees during summer and autumn of 2015 have put the region into the spotlight of public attention. A new split in Europe was widely proclaimed. With the closure of the Balkan route in March 2016 and the implementation of the EU-Turkey action plan the numbers of arrivals have decreased. However, those expecting these steps to be the solution of the refugee and migration question will be severely disillusioned.

Taking into account the particularities of Central European countries, obligatory quotas - as proposed by the European Commission - are not the most promising solution at this moment. The focus should rather be on possible common ground - such as substantial financial aid on the spot, commitment to common external border management, the functioning of Schengen as well as legal ways to request asylum from outside of the European Union. Quotas could be left for discussion at a later stage. But further actions can be taken now to promote future integration capacities in the region. These should also include an intensified cooperation among NGOs and media across borders, the joint promotion of a counter-narrative and stronger partnerships between the civil society and governments. In the end, the refugee and migration question is a cross-border challenge, which does not go away by closing borders. It can only be confronted together.

Policy recommendations
1.
To tackle the refugee and migration question a cross-border multi-level dialogue
needs to be fostered not only between governments and public authorities in
Central Europe, but also between civil society players and the media.
2.
A counter-narrative has to be told offering a broader – not only security based –
perspective and explaining the complexities.
3.
In reply to the perception of a single, unsupportive Central European block the
societal and historical particularities of Central European countries have to be
emphasized, explaining the backgrounds and countering stigmatization.

Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik - ÖGfE

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