Berlin – ESI presentation on borders and refugees at Katholische Akademie Berlin

14 December 2022
Video: Katholische Akademie Berlin

ESI’s Gerald Knaus was invited to give an online presentation on borders and refugees organised by Katholische Akademie Berlin.

Gerald argued that European refugee policy has become a policy of violence with deaths in the Mediterranean, mistreatment by state organs and pushbacks, and migrants being instrumentalised to fan the fear of uncontrolled mass migration.

He noted that new approaches in refugee aid should be considered, such as churches taking on sponsorships for refugees, which would also help with the integration of migrants as in Canada where such sponsorships have exited for more than 40 years.

Moreover, Gerald stressed that most Europeans are in favour of border controls that respect human rights. The reality, however, is that more than 2,000 refugees have already drowned this year after their boats capsized in the Mediterranean. The EU has the “deadliest borders in the world”.

Gerald advocated for a “humane control policy” that could “drastically increase” refugee protection and gave the example of intergovernmental agreements with countries bordering the EU, such as Tunisia. Such agreements need to be combined with more legal opportunities to enter the EU, only then will partner countries be ready to take back rejected asylum seekers after a cut-off date.