On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Refugee Convention, Policy Fellow Lucas Rasche and Migration Scholar Judith Kohlenberger warn the EU to focus on the central promise of the Convention, not on the illusion of a "Fortress Europe".
On the 70th anniversary of its adoption, the central promise of the Geneva Refugee Convention that no one with a "well-founded fear of persecution" should be turned back, stands in stark contrast to the situation at Europe's borders. In their op-ed, migration expert Judith Kohlenberger and policy fellow Lucas Rasche argue that the EU has an essential role to play in guaranteeing this promise of the Refugee Convention. In doing so, the authors urge the EU and its member states to pave the way for a policy of consistent humanisation. First, by readjusting the external dimension of European asylum policy and linking agreements with partner countries to strict human rights guarantees. Second, by creating secure and legal pathways to protection. Third, by mitigating root causes of displacement.
Read the full article (in German) here.