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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

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By Erik Brattberg
Published on Sep 15, 2017
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The Europe Program in Washington explores the political and security developments within Europe, transatlantic relations, and Europe’s global role. Working in coordination with Carnegie Europe in Brussels, the program brings together U.S. and European policymakers and experts on strategic issues facing Europe.

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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.

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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.

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