Developing a fresh start on migration

Due to technical difficulties, portions of this video have been edited/modified. These modifications applied only to the segments spoken by the Friends of Europe moderator, Shada Islam, and in no way alter the questions or order of the discussion. No changes were made to Commissioner Johansson’s segments.

Can Europe develop a ‘fresh start on migration’ even as it finds itself in the midst of a global pandemic? The road may be rocky, but many signs point to the potential for the COVID-19 crisis to play a role in shaping a new narrative. These and other issues were discussed in an interactive online conversation with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson held on 18 May.

“We’ve seen the vital role being played by essential workers, many of whom are from migrant backgrounds,” observed Shada Islam, Director for Europe & Geopolitics at Friends of Europe. “Is this the right time for the narrative on migration to change in Europe?”

Acknowledging the risk that a global economic recession brought on by the COVID-19 crisis could amplify extremist and xenophobic voices, Johansson nonetheless expressed optimism: “Migrants are here, and have been here for generations, and they are part of us – they are part of we.”

In a normal year, there are 1-1.5mn migrants coming to the EU, only about 200,000 of whom arrive irregularly. Without migrants who perform essential work, the Commissioner stressed the EU would be a much poorer union: “COVID-19 really opens our eyes to how much our societies depend on migration.”

In her home nation of Sweden, for instance, she noted that one-third of doctors are born outside of the country – most of whom come from outside of the EU.

But regardless of a person’s point of origin, a new narrative should focus on what people can contribute – particularly in the post-crisis recovery. “We cannot focus on background all the time,” she said. “We have to focus on individuals . . . irrespective of their background – what they can contribute to society, the fact they are part of our society.”

But the pandemic has of course also played a disruptive role – particularly in terms of asylum procedures and the Commission’s progress towards a New Pact on Migration & Asylum.

With procedures like in-person asylum interviews interrupted, the EU issued guidelines in mid-April suggesting that member states make use of technology to be able to continue processing asylum applications, even as resettlement operations were disrupted.

Reiterating that a response to the pandemic should in no way abridge basic human rights – including the rights to international protection and due process – the Commissioner agreed that would be of the utmost importance for Europe to show solidarity as it works towards a New Pact on Migration & Asylum.

Expressing her hope that the Commission would be able to present the pact in early summer, Johansson nevertheless agreed that convincing sceptical countries to accept a compromise on migration and asylum would be no easy task. She added that it is unacceptable that “those countries with the lowest ambitions are able to set the standard”.

With most internal borders shut in response to the onset of the pandemic, the Commission has also issued guidelines on restoring a fully functioning Schengen area and free movement in the European Union. Member states can open borders gradually – and need not open all borders at once – following assessment of the severity of regional outbreaks and the potential for the virus to spread again. Once a border is open, however, all EU citizens must be allowed to cross it without discrimination to nationality. That said, however, Johansson pointed out that border checks are not as reliable a way of fighting the virus as is social distancing.

Looking to the future, Johansson acknowledged that the migration issue is charged with lots of emotion and controversy, and expressed her hope that migration could become more “normalised” – joking that she looked forward to the day when the migration portfolio would become “as boring as any other European policy area”.