INVITATION: Asylum and migration policy: Danish and Czech perspectives

On behalf of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy we would like to cordially invite you to a discussion titled ''Asylum and migration policy: Danish and Czech perspectives''. The event is organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Denmark in Prague. The discussion will take place on Thursday, April 21, 2022 from 16:00 at the European House (Jungmannova 745/24, 110 00) and it will be also live-streamed on our Facebook page.

Confirmed speakers:

• Karolína Kottová, Deputy Head of Representation and Head of Political Section, Permanent Representation of the European Commission, Prague
• Clotilde Warin, Advisor on European Affairs at the Centre for Analysis, Planning and Strategy of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, France
• Henrik Ankerstjerne, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Immigration and Integration of Denmark
• Tomáš Urubek, Department of Asylum and Migration Policy, Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic
• Magda Faltová, Director, Association for Integration and Migration, Prague (TBC)

Moderator: Filip Nerad, Analyst, Český rozhlas

Since the ‘migration crisis’ of 2015-16, migration has remained one of the most contested issues in European policy. Several attempts at reviving the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) have failed due to irreconcilable divergences amongst Member States, and the New Pact on Migration and Asylum has similarly failed to generate momentum for long-term sustainable solutions. 

Because of this deadlock, Member States have begun exploring unilateral or bilateral solutions in lieu of European ones. Denmark, a country renowned for its relatively expansive migration policy in the past, has tightened its policy gradually since the crisis, adopting a modus operandi of “skirting the edges of the international conventions.” Some of these provisions are now being given exception due to the war in Ukraine.  

The war in Ukraine has generated a profound solidarity within Europe as Ukrainians flee by the millions. Whether this heralds a more fundamental paradigm shift remains to be seen; despite the current solidarity, the Belarus crisis that preceded it exposed European vulnerabilities to migration in general, and weaponized migration by malign foreign actors in particular. The EU and its Member States will have to balance security concerns with respect for universal human rights and international obligations. 

This debate will explore the Danish migration policy and its wider European ramifications. Has Denmark found a viable blueprint for tackling migration holistically?  Has the Danish approach of “skirting the edges of the international conventions” been successful in adhering to obligations under those conventions? What can the Czech Republic take away from this approach and what should be the migration policy of the new Czech government as it faces an unprecedented number of Ukrainian refugees? Is the EU facing a fundamental paradigm shift in its migration and asylum policy?

You can find the facebook event here.  

Alexandra Visnerova
Senior Project Manager, Transatlantic Policy Forum