Freiburg – ESI examines migration policy on both sides of the Atlantic

Freiburg. Photo: flickr/metrocentric

ESI’s Gerald Knaus spoke at a podium discussion held in Freiburg, Germany. Joining Gerald on the podium were Beatriz Zepeda from the European Business School and Peter Ruhenstroth-Bauer, the former national director of the UNO-Flüchtlingshilfe NGO. The event was part of a series titled ‘American Rodeo,’ and looked at the role of migration in the politics of Europe, America, and trans-Atlantic relations.

Gerald noted that migration has become a top political issue on both sides of the Atlantic. The widespread public perception that migration is no longer under control, he argued, has strengthened anti-democratic forces across the West. He compared the rise of Donald Trump and MAGA in the United States with growing support for parties such as the AfD in Germany or Reform in the UK. All share a mutual disdain for European integration and seek a return to a bygone, nationalist era. Gerald argued that this presents a massive threat to the Western alliance, highlighting the ongoing fallout from Trump’s threat to invade Denmark. Were trans-Atlantic security cooperation to collapse, so too would the stability of Europe’s Eastern flank, which has seen unprecedented progress over the past decades. We need to take action, Gerald argued. He pointed to migration partnerships as a humane solution to migration that has potential on both sides of the Atlantic. He noted the success of the 2016 EU-Turkey agreement to both cut deaths and illegal crossings, and suggested a similar framework could be used for a deal between the EU and the UK on the English Channel.

Gerald in Freiburg. Photo: ESI

• ESI proposal: Safe Third Country Agreements
• ESI proposal: Stopping small boats in the Channel legally
• ESI Newsletter: The 100 million expulsions promise