Reconciling Refugee Protection With Combating Irregular Migration: Turkey and the EU

Kemal KİRİŞCİ

Article Details

Reconciling Refugee Protection With Combating Irregular Migration: Turkey and the EU

Authors:

Kemal KİRİŞCİ

Publisher:

T.C Dışişleri Bakanlığı

Journal:

PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 2004 Vol.9 Issue 2, pp.5-20

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2004

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2000586372

Frequency:

Bi-Annual

eISSN:

2651-3315

pISSN:

1300-8641

Abstract:

 

During the course of the 1990s, the issue of immigration in general and  irregular migration in particular, has been high up on the political agenda of many  European countries. The arrival of boats full of illegal migrants to the shores of  France and Italy, especially during the late 1990s, accompanied by surges in the  number of asylum seekers during the same period, played an important role in the  rise of anti-immigration feelings in some European countries. These developments  came to dominate the domestic politics of a number of EU countries and became  hotly contested issues during election campaigns. Efforts to develop a "common  asylum and immigration" European Union policy has also been deeply influenced  by these developments. Most strikingly during the run up to the Seville European  Council in June 2002, the British and Spanish prime ministers, Tony Blair and Jose  Anzar, called for tough measures to stem illegal migration and asylum applications.  There were even calls for the introduction of sanctions against countries failing to  cooperate against illegal migration. One of the countries threatened by sanctions for  not combating transit illegal migration rigorously enough was actually Turkey  itself. In the meantime the European Council authorised the European Commission  to negotiate readmission agreements with a list of countries including Turkey.  Furthermore, the European Union during the course of early 2004 adopted a series  of Directives on Asylum which have left the refugee advocacy community deeply  concerned about the erosion of the international refugee regime based on the 1951  Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Hence, the European Union  has been increasingly depicted as a "fortress of Europe" with little room for asylum  seekers, refugees and migrants.

Article Details

Reconciling Refugee Protection With Combating Irregular Migration: Turkey and the EU

Authors: Kemal KİRİŞCİ

Publisher: T.C Dışişleri Bakanlığı

Journal: PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 2004 Vol.9 Issue 2, pp.5-20

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2004

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2000586372

Frequency: Bi-Annual

eISSN: 2651-3315

pISSN: 1300-8641

Issues

Authors:

Kemal KİRİŞCİ

Publisher:

T.C Dışişleri Bakanlığı

Journal:

PERCEPTIONS: Journal of International Affairs 2004 Vol.9 Issue 2, pp.5-20

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2004

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2000586372

Frequency:

Bi-Annual

eISSN:

2651-3315

pISSN:

1300-8641