Publications

In view of a relatively low number of asylum seekers at the EU’s eastern external borders, several EU member states are undermining refugee protection in Europe, citing attempts by Russia and Belarus to “instrumentalise” migration. This policy brief examines the narrative of the “instrumentalisation” of migration and its implications for asylum policy in the EU. In addition to national efforts , stricter measures and exemptions (or derogations) have also been incorporated into the 2024 reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). This rhetorically and politically questionable escalation of the instrumentalisation narrative, which is increasingly reflected in law, erodes European norms and values internally. Externally, it signals success for those who engage in instrumentalisation. Through panic-driven reactions, the EU demonstrates that irregular migration is its weak point – one that can be exploited by third countries. A more fruitful  response would be to draw on the strengths of the common European project: a human rights-based approach that relies on the rule of law and seeks to build capacities for intra-European responsibility-sharing. Such a counter-narrative, which absorbs the logic of instrumentalisation and creates desirable effects such as the stabilisation of norms, values and European labour markets, could achieve more positive foreign and security policy outcomes and serve as an impetus for a more evidence-based European asylum and refugee policy.

Read the full policy brief here.