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POLICY PAPER: Untying the Gordian Knot of the Common European Asylum System: Dublin IV Reform

The latest policy paper by our Shang-Yen Lee and Christian Kvorning Lassen focuses on the reform of Dublin IV regulation under the Common European Asylum System and its prospects after the EP elections.

Articles and Publications

24. May 2019

The reform of Dublin IV regulation under the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) has stagnated for years, leaving the EU ill-prepared for future migration and asylum challenges.
A reform of Dublin IV is a prerequisite to a comprehensive CEAS reform towards greater solidarity and fairer sharing of responsibilities between the Member States, yet divisions between Parliament and Commission as well as liberal and ‘illiberal’ fault lines have complicated the reform process.
The EP elections will most likely stagnate the process further due to a surge in nationalist Eurosceptic MEP’s, which could delay CEAS reform for the foreseeable future, to the detriment of the EU.

Reforming Dublin IV has become politically sensitive due to the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments. However, reforming the CEAS and Dublin IV is crucial, not least due to the predicted rise of migrants and displaced people due to climate change and escalating global conflicts fueled by populists, the rise of China, and the increasingly erratic behavior of both Presidents Trump and Putin, which is predicted to lead to increased migratory pressure on Europe.

You can read the whole Policy Paper by clicking on the PDF button.