Warsaw – ESI meetings on alternatives to the Dublin regulation reform, the rule of law in Poland and public debate on the EU-Turkey agreement

Photo: ESI

On April 25, ESI's Gerald Knaus and Magdalena Milenkovska visited Warsaw where they met with Foreign Ministry officials to present ESI's Rome Plan for the Mediterranean migration crisis. Gerald argued that it could replace the current Dublin procedures whose reform is currently being debated in the EU.

At a meeting with the Polish Ombudsman, Adam Bodnar, the ESI team discussed challenges to the rule of law in Poland, such as recent judicial reform legislation and the role of public media.

Later that day, at the invitation of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Warsaw, Gerald gave a presentation on the impact of the EU-Turkey statement at the debate "The EU-Turkey deal two years on: Prospect of European migration policy". The aim of the meeting was to discuss the prospects of an effective migration policy that respects European values and international legal standards.

At a dinner with Polish lawyers from the "Free Courts" campaign and Warsaw Bar Association, ESI discussed the changes to the judicial system enacted by the Polish government and what can be done to safeguard the rule of law in Poland.

On 26 April, Gerald and Magdalena attended a Diplomatic Morning Briefing on European migration policy with EU ambassadors and high-level officials. During his presentation, Gerald argued that the current Dublin IV reform will not solve existing problems.

• ESI core facts: The Italian Magnet – Deaths, arrivals and returns in the Central Mediterranean (13 March 2018)
• Refugees Deeply, John Dalhuisen Gerald Knaus, How Italy Can Combine Migration Control With Human Rights (13 March 2018)
• ESI proposals for the refugee crises in the Central Mediterranean and the Aegean: www.esiweb.org/refugees
• Media reactions to ESI refugee proposals

Adam Bodnar. Photo: ESI

EU ambassadors. Photo: ESI