Following the spike in arrival numbers throughout 2015 and 2016, migration has moved to the top of the European political agenda. Since then, internal controversies challenge the political cohesion of the Union, member states are struggling to find a common understanding of solidarity, while reforming the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) has proven to be especially difficult. In addition, migration policies are becoming more and more interlinked with questions of internal security and foreign affairs, which broadens the number of relevant actors. In this protracted policy field, our proposals contribute to finding new ideas for reforming the CEAS and our policy analyses closely follow the externalisation of EU asylum and migration policies. We provide insights into the narratives and discourses on migration and explore the link between migration, border management and foreign- as well as security policies.