TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - The EU‘s migration and asylum policy - Still under construction N2 - After a long delay, the European Commission on Wednesday last week presented its proposals for the reform of the Common European Asylum System. Originally announced for April, the reform plans have become all the more urgent in the light of the fire at the Moria refugee camp. Commission Vice- President Schinas has described the proposals as a house with three floors: agreements with countries of origin, a more rigorous border and return policy, and a solidarity mechanism among member states. But the cement between the national building blocks remains brittle. The Commission‘s plans also do little to prevent miserable camps like the one on Lesbos from springing up on its front lawn in the long term. Y1 - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-36862 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - EU Talent Partnership - Fit for Purpose? N2 - On 11 June, the Commission presented its proposal for so-called “Talent Partnerships” as a framework for member states to engage strategically with selected third countries on legal migration. Based on several pilot projects, the Talent Partnerships should allow member states to address their skills needs whilst improving cooperation in areas such as readmission or migration management. This Policy Brief takes a closer look behind the illusive terminology and asks: what exactly are Talent Partnerships? After discussing their major challenges and opportunities, the Policy Brief outlines three principles that should guide the Partnerships’ implementation: clear and realistic objectives, a focus on countries beyond the EU’s immediate neighbourhood, and avoiding negative conditionality Y1 - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-40171 U6 - https://doi.org/10.48462/opus4-4017 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas A1 - Kohlenberger, Judith T1 - Fortress Europe. Lower the drawbridges N2 - 70 years after it was signed, the Geneva Refugee Convention is degenerating into an empty phrase. Its central promise that no one with a „well-founded fear of persecution“ may be turned back stands in stark contrast to the current situation at Europe‘s borders. Yet, the EU, with its value-based self-image, has an essential role to play in guaranteeing the Convention’s promise for the next 70 years and beyond. So even if member states will not completely abandon the construction of a „Fortress Europe“, they should at least consider building rawbridges. Policy Fellow Lucas Rasche and Migration Scholar Judith Kohlenberger explain how. Y1 - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-40249 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/fortress-europe U6 - https://doi.org/10.48462/opus4-4024 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - Ukraine: A paradigm shift for the EU’s asylum policy? N2 - This Policy Brief maps the EU’s immediate response to the arrival of more than three million Ukrainian refugees. While the decision to grant them immediate access to protection by activating the Temporary Protection Directive has raised the question whether current events will lead to a paradigm shift in EU asylum and migration policy, the EU’s greater test is what member states and the Commission will do next. The Policy Brief discusses why a mechanism for the fair sharing of responsibility is urgently needed and outlines what such a scheme could look. It closes by arguing that the current welcoming of Ukrainian refugees is less a paradigm shift in EU asylum and migration policy than an example of an increased politicisation of access to protection. KW - EU Migration; Ukraine; Responsibility Sharing Y1 - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-43456 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/ukraine-a-paradigm-shift-for-the-eus-asylum-policy ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - Four implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for the EU’s asylum and migration policy N2 - The outbreak of Covid-19 has disrupted all strands of EU policy-making. Discussions about the EU’s immediate response to the pandemic focus predominantly on the bloc’s economic recovery. However, mitigating its fallout in other branches of EU policy is equally necessary. The Union’s area of free movements is among the policies most tangibly affected by the pandemic. While national border closures and regional lockdowns impaired EU citizens’ ability to travel, they also had substantial consequences for migrants and asylum seekers. Y1 - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-35865 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - After the German election: What's next in EU migration policy? N2 - In the election campaign, the topic of migration has been conspicuous mainly by its absence. However, this should not obscure the fact that the new federal government has difficult questions to answer: What model of responsibility-sharing is it seeking at the EU level to advance the stalled asylum reform? What about the EU-Turkey agreement? And what options are there to expand legal escape routes? In this policy brief, Lucas Rasche writes that an answer to these questions first needs a credible narrative of what a "European solution" in migration policy can look like. KW - migration Y1 - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-42420 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/what-next-in-european-migration-politics ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - Migrationskrise mit Belarus Realitätscheck & Handlungsoptionen für die neue Bundesregierung N2 - Für die neue Bundesregierung ist die Krise an der EU-Außengrenze zu Belarus eine erste Bewährungsprobe für den angekündigten Paradigmenwechsel ihrer Migrationspolitik. Im Fokus steht dabei die Frage, wie Deutschland und die EU einer instrumentalisierten Migrationsbewegung entgegentreten können. Die EU-Kommission hat dazu jüngst eine Anpassung des Schengener Grenzkodex sowie eine neue „Instrumentalisierungs-Verordnung“ vorge� schlagen. Angesichts dieser Entwicklungen erörtert dieser Policy Brief, welche Handlungsoptionen der neuen Bundesregierung offenstehen, um die Vorhaben des Koalitionsvertrags auf europäischer Ebene umzusetzen. KW - migration crisis; Belarus Y1 - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-42483 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/migration-crisis-belarus ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - The French EU Council Presidency: How to proceed on resettlement & humanitarian admission? N2 - Given the recent crises in Belarus and Afghanistan, President Macron has declared protecting the EU’s external borders as a main priority of the upcoming French Council Presidency. Yet, in this policy brief, Lucas Rasche argues that the French Council Presidency should move beyond a restrictive approach to reform the EU’s asylum and migration policy. A less politicised approach can thereby help focus on solving technical issues to make progress where it is severely needed. This is especially the case when it comes to enhancing the number of safe and legal pathways to protection in the EU. KW - migration policy; asylum policy; French EU Council Presidency 2022 Y1 - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-42493 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/the-french-eu-council ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - The EU talent pool: An opportunity for skills-based pathways to protection N2 - Following the proposal for an EU Talent Pool under the New Pact on Asylum and Migration, the Commission is currently conceptualising a skills-matching mechanism to attract qualified migrants. This presents an ideal opportunity to account for the diverse skill sets of refugees, who possess qualifications needed to fill member states’ shortage occupations in both lower and high-skilled professions. In light of the need to diversify and increase the number of safe and legal pathways for refugees, this Visions Paper proposes to incorporate a designated Refugee Track into the envisioned Talent Pool and outlines three ways of linking it with complementary pathways. Y1 - 2021 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/the-eu-talent-pool-an-opportunity-for-skills-based-pathways-to-protection ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - Implementing Temporary Protection in the EU: From crisis response to long-term strategy N2 - Following the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive, Lucas Rasche argues in this Policy Brief that member states must urgently transition from crisis-response to developing a longer-term strategy for implementing temporary protection. This requires member states to shift from a reactive to a forward-looking policy. The Brief outlines four areas that will require particular attention in the months ahead: the disproportionate allocation of refugees across EU countries (i), the long-term financial costs of hosting refugees (ii), devising a tailored integration strategy (iii) and preparing for beneficiaries of temporary protection to transit into a durable protection status (iv). The Policy Brief then concludes by discussing the potential spill-over of activating the Temporary Protection Directive to the wider EU asylum policy. Y1 - 2022 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/detail/publication/temporary-protection ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas A1 - Walter-Franke, Marie T1 - EU border procedures: Clear, fair and fast? The "New Pact" in review T1 - EU-Grenzverfahren: eindeutig, fair und schnell? Der „New Pact“ im Check N2 - The proposal for an asylum procedure at the EU's external borders, presented by the Commission at the end of September, is intended to ensure "clear, fair and faster" procedures, according to Commissioner Johansson. While the proposal has the potential to re-structure access to the European asylum system, achieving all three of these objectives simultaneously seems unrealistic. While speeding up the procedure at the border and simplifying its application, Lucas Rasche and Marie Walter-Franke argue that the proposal jeopardises the respect of fundamental rights and thus impedes the fairness of the procedure. Y1 - 2020 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/eu-border-procedures-clear-fair-and-fast-the-new-pact-in-review ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - The EU must deprive Erdoğan of his basis for blackmail N2 - The misery at the Greek-Turkish border can be put to an end: The EU‘s emergency mechanism allows for the rapid redistribution of refugees. Here is what should happen next. Y1 - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-35116 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - In Greece, the Corona crisis threatens to become a disaster N2 - If the coronavirus spreads to the Greek refugee camps, a humanitarian catastrophe is imminent. Instead of relying on national border controls, other EU states should relocate the migrants who are currently stuck in Greece. Y1 - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-35122 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - Asylum Reform: What to expect from Germany’s EU Council presidency N2 - Although the Covid-19 outbreak has reshuffled Germany’s agenda for the upcoming EU Council presidency, a three-point plan by the German government provided new impetus to the discussion about reforming the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). This Policy Brief analyses how Germany’s three-point plan, centred on the idea of a border procedure, compares to previous reform proposals and which elements of the plan can move the reform process forward. It concludes by identifying three areas in which the upcoming German Council presidency can adopt a pragmatic approach to forge a compromise in the Council. Y1 - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-35220 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Duken, Carlotta A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - Towards a European Model for Community Sponsorship N2 - Community sponsorship has become an increasingly popular instrument for setting up safe and legal pathways to protection in recent years. As part of its New Pact on Asylum and Migration, the European Commission now assumed ownership of the concept and called for a distinct "European model” of community sponsorship. However, the Commission remains vague as to how a European approach should look like. This Policy Brief analyses existing sponsorship schemes in EU member states and argues that a “European model” should be based on two principles: the additionality of sponsorship schemes and their focus on the protection of beneficiaries. Y1 - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-38027 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/towards-a-european-model-for-community-sponsorships U6 - https://doi.org/10.48462/opus4-3802 ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas A1 - Welfens, Natalie A1 - Engler, Marcus T1 - The EU Migration Pact at Two: What Remains of the Fresh Start? N2 - Two years after the presentation of the New Pact on Asylum and Migration, this policy brief takes stock of the negotiations. Although there has recently been some movement in the efforts to reform the EU asylum system, which have been stuck for years, little has remained of the promised "fresh start". The authors argue that the proposed reforms and the reference to individual progress in the negotiations seem increasingly out of touch with reality given the ongoing grievances at the EU's external borders. In view of the Council's and the European Parliament's (EP) goal of concluding negotiations by April 2024, the progressive forces in both institutions should use the remaining time to make access to a fair asylum procedure and respect for fundamental rights at the EU's external borders central building blocks of the reformed asylum system. KW - Migration, EU, Migration Pact, Asylum Reform Y1 - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b1570-opus4-45325 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/the-eu-migration-pact-at-two?Array=&cHash=21c28fbce088ced1efdd31e37a4567ad ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - The EU’s race for talent: Common challenge, no shared response N2 - Labour shortages are a common challenge for EU member states. Shortages in sectors vital to the green and digital transition risk attaining common objectives of the EU’s industrial strategy. But as much as the need to attract skilled workers is a shared concern, the EU lacks a common labour migration policy that lives up to the challenge. In this Policy Brief, Lucas Rasche argues that the EU’s current labour migration acquis is highly fragmented, underused, and largely detached from other policy areas. Hence the EU needs to structurally re-think its approach to labour migration for it to truly compete in the global race for talent. Y1 - 2023 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/race-for-talent ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - The instrumentalisation of migration – how should the EU respond? N2 - The instrumentalisation of migration is back on the EU’s agenda. One year after Belarus instigated a migration crisis at its border with the EU, concerns emerge that Russia could instrumentalise a second exodus of Ukrainians to undermine the EU’s support to Kyiv. Member states’ recent failure to agree on the proposal for an Instrumentalisation Regulation should be an opportunity to revise the EU’s approach. In fact, the proposed Regulation would have done more harm than good. Two things need to happen for the EU to develop an effective response to the instrumentalisation of migration. First, the proposed Regulation should be amended to avoid the EU stepping into a “hypocrisy trap” by third countries seeking to expose the EU’s alleged double standards on fundamental rights. Second, the EU needs a revised migration diplomacy that addresses the structural factors facilitating the instrumentalisation of migration by third countries. Y1 - 2022 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/the-instrumentalisation-of-migration ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - The EU needs a new migration diplomacy N2 - The EU’s cooperation with third countries on migration disproportionally prioritises deterrence and return at the expense of other foreign policy objectives. Two reasons illustrate why this particularly problematic now. First, the EU relies on third countries to support its effort of further isolating the Russian regime for its war of aggression against Ukraine. And second, labour shortages require the EU to conclude partnerships with third countries on labour migration. The EU must hence revise its migration diplomacy. This requires shifting from a predominantly domestic agenda and short-term objectives to considering migration part of the EU’s wider geopolitical ambition and a better balance of priorities in cooperating with third countries. Y1 - 2023 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/migration-diplomacy ER - TY - RPRT A1 - Rasche, Lucas T1 - Why the EU needs a re-think on labour migration N2 - Labour shortages are affecting member states across the EU, with the average EU job vacancy rate doubling between 2012 and 2022. These labour shortages may cause the EU’s most severe migration crisis yet, putting common EU objectives such as the green and industrial transitions at risk. In order to combat labour shortages and create a migration system fit for the future, the EU must focus on simplifying and harmonising its legal framework on labour migration, expanding migration opportunities to low- and medium-skilled workers, and aligning migration legislation with other policy objectives. Y1 - 2023 UR - https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/why-the-eu-needs-a-radical-re-think-on-labour-migration ER -