Category: European Public Policy

European Public Policy, Guest Articles

A Critical View on the Treatment of Pushback Allegations by Greek Authorities and the Detention of Asylum Seekers

Guest Author: Ann-Kathrin Grunwald Ann-Kathrin Grunwald studies Law at the University of Bonn with a special interest in European law, international human rights law, and Asylum law.    Introduction According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, “the right to seek and enjoy asylum does not depend on the mode of arrival to a country. People who wish to apply for asylum should be allowed to do so and they should be made aware of their rights and provided legal assistance”.[1] However, looking at Greece’s border and asylum policy, […]

European Public Policy, Guest Articles

Barely addressed but highly important: Migration Camps

Guest Author: Paulina Matt Paulina Matt studies International Relations at the Central European University with a focus on International Political Economy, Development and Refugee Policy.   The new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum offers an ambitious framework for dealing with high immigration numbers. However, it does not dedicate one single sentence to the poor conditions in migration camps. The influx of migrants is a major challenge for the European Union (EU)[i]. In 2020, more than 80 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide[ii], with over 6.6 million living in poor […]

European Public Policy

The most fundamental rights: Queer refugees in the European Asylum System

Author: Alina Mehrens   It’s the end of the pride month. So, as we watch the rainbows being taken down from corporate logos, sidewalks and the flagpoles in front of public offices, it’s worth discussing how much of a safe haven Europe actually is for LGBTQ+ refugees seeking asylum from persecution in their country of origin. Going from big to small, I want to first take a look at the changing judicature at the European Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights relating to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, subsequently […]

European Public Policy, Guest Articles

Making Polluters Pay – Policy Options for an Ambitious Reform of the European Emissions Trading System

Guest Author: Benedikt Heyl Benedikt Heyl is a climate activist with German Zero, developing a concrete plan to make Germany climate neutral by 2035. He is a member of the Green Youth in Germany and studies theoretical physics at the University of Amsterdam.   The damages that the release of greenhouse gases causes to society as a whole are in crass contrast to the little repercussions that polluters experience for emitting them. To close this gap the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) was formed. Owners of selected point sources of […]

European Public Policy

Rule of Law in the EU – Killing the Goose that lays the Golden Eggs

“Because other issues are more important than ethics, ethics is more important than any issue” [1]. Similarly, I would argue that the rule of law (RoL) may not be everything but without the rule of law, everything is nothing. The rule of law is inherently linked to democratic governance and democracy without the rule of law can hardly be considered democracy at all. Alongside human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and human rights, the rule of law is one of the fundamental values uniting the member states in the European Union, […]

European Public Policy

Future of Europe: Migration Policy – Aspirations vs. Reality

Starting into the Council Presidency, Germany declared that migration policy in the European Union would be one of the focal points during the six months to come. Now, more than four months in, the issue many thought would be off the table due to different priorities during the corona pandemic has attracted more public scrutiny than anyone had imagined back in July 2020. The coronavirus especially affecting refugees who are most vulnerable, the burning down of Moria, the new proposal by the European Commission are just among the most prominently […]