• Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Middle East logoCarnegie lettermark logo
LebanonIran
{
  "authors": [
    "Erik Brattberg"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "EP",
  "programs": [
    "Europe"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "North Africa",
    "Eastern Europe",
    "Western Europe",
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Democracy",
    "Global Governance"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Europe’s Immigration Quagmire

Inconsistency in European strategy toward migrants largely comes from the need to develop a internal, unified, and regional immigration policy

Link Copied
By Erik Brattberg
Published on Sep 15, 2017

Source: KBIA

Speaking on KBIA, Carnegie’s Erik Brattberg discussed how European policy has evolved since the summer of 2015 when the migration crisis exploded in Europe. Regardless of the fact that a migration plan has been adapted to accommodate newfound challenges, it still has its flaws, Brattberg said. He offered as an example the European deal with Turkey, which was largely designed to keep migrants in Turkey in exchange for European aid. A similar plan has been considered with Libya, another country through which a huge number of migrants attempt to enter Europe, but was never replicated because of government and internal instability, he added. 

Inconsistency in European strategy largely comes from the need for the region to develop an internal, unified immigration policy, Brattberg said. He explained that this would be the first step towards resettling and redistributing migrants more equitably throughout the continent. Without such a policy, he added, states like Greece, Italy, and Germany will be forced to bear the brunt of the crisis. All in all, he concluded, this issue is essential to European national sovereignty and is the current focus of the European project.

This interview was originally done by KBIA.

About the Author

Erik Brattberg

Former Director, Europe Program, Fellow

Erik Brattberg was director of the Europe Program and a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. He is an expert on European politics and security and transatlantic relations.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    How the Transatlantic Relationship Has Evolved, One Year Into the Biden Administration
      • +11

      Cornelius Adebahr, Dan Baer, Rosa Balfour, …

  • Paper
    China’s Influence in Southeastern, Central, and Eastern Europe: Vulnerabilities and Resilience in Four Countries
      • +1

      Erik Brattberg, Philippe Le Corre, Paul Stronski, …

Erik Brattberg
Former Director, Europe Program, Fellow
Erik Brattberg
DemocracyGlobal GovernanceMiddle EastNorth AfricaEastern EuropeWestern EuropeIran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    The Mecca Agreement Unpacked

    The accord represents a pivotal moment in the region to avert a security vacuum in the Gulf.

      Azeema Cheema, Mohanad Hage Ali

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Years of Fire

    In an interview, Jason Burke discusses his sweeping account of the “revolutionists” who so shaped the 1970s and early 1980s.

      Michael Young

  • Paper
    Egypt’s Military Landlord Economy and its Limitations

    The armed forces champion a form of capitalism that is generating revenue, but its reliance on rent faces diminishing returns, leaving the country with massive sunk costs and deferred returns, deepening dependency on external borrowing.

      Yezid Sayigh

  • Article
    From Hormuz to the Maghreb: The Geopolitical Reach of a Gulf Crisis

    Morocco and Algeria, each in its own way, are having to navigate the global economic fallout of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

      Yasmine Zarhloule

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Kurdish Rebel Groups Are Wary of Tehran’s Next Move

    Following its deal with the United States, Iran may act against Iraq-based dissidents.

      Wladimir van Wilgenburg

Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
Carnegie Middle East logo, white
  • Research
  • Diwan
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.