Between ‘fortress Europe’ and an open door policy…

Warsaw Office of the European Council on Foreign Relations and the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw

have the pleasure of inviting you to the public debate:

Between ‘fortress Europe’ and an open door policy:
Has the EU learnt a lesson from the migration crisis?

16 November, 3.30-5.00 PM on the premises of the Stefan Batory Foundation (ul. Sapieżyńska 10a)

Two years after the crisis of 2015, when Europe proved woefully unprepared for thousands of refugees, the problem of migration cannot be easily relegated to the past. It is true that the number of refugees coming to Europe has drastically decreased, while the Balkan route has been deserted as a result of the EU-Turkish agreement and closing of borders by several member states. However, last year a record number of refugees died in the Mediterranean Sea and the means used to limit the inflow of migrants (in particular the recent agreement with Libya) raise serious legal and humanitarian concerns. Although the EU has abandoned a controversial compulsory relocation plan, its asylum policy still needs a reform. Has Europe learnt a lesson from the migration crisis? How should the EU distribute between the member states the burdens and costs of accommodating the refugees? Can high humanitarian requirements be reconciled with the need to protect EU's external borders from irregular migration? What should the EU's policy towards the African countries, from where the majority of immigrants are coming, be?

The debate will be held in English – simultaneous translation to Polish will be available.
Please confirm your participation until the 15th November via registration form online.