The 2015 migrant crisis shifted EU migration policy toward stricter border control and securitization, impacting legislation and Frontex operations.
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The 2015 migrant crisis significantly shaped European Union institutions’ language and legislation regarding migration and asylum, leading to increasingly restrictive policies focused on strengthening external borders. Over the past decade, despite initial high levels of irregular border crossings, which were largely due to Syrian and Afghan nationals arriving via Greek islands and the Balkan route, arrivals have gradually decreased following EU agreements with Turkey and stricter reception measures. Frontex’s role has expanded, sometimes involving human rights violations, as noted by OLAF reports. The rhetoric in Brussels has shifted from discussions of cultural enrichment through migration to an almost exclusively security-focused narrative, exemplified by calls to control who enters Europe. Early efforts like the EU-Turkey Declaration established a pattern of external agreements and returns. While the new Pact on Migration and Asylum introduces mandatory solidarity among member states, it retains the Dublin Regulation’s principle that the first country of entry is responsible for asylum claims. Furthermore, revisions to the concept of “safe third countries” aim to accelerate repatriation by allowing transfers to various agreed-upon third countries, potentially leading to systematic outsourcing of asylum procedures without guaranteed protection.
