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After years of protracted negotiations, the Council agreed on a compromise for two key pieces of legislation, which form the basis of the ongoing negotiations with the European Parliament. Together, the Council position on the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (previously: Dublin III) and the Asylum Procedures Regulation cover no less than 300 pages, meaning that only selected elements have been discussed in the political and media arena so far. The Migration Policy Forum (MPF) on…

Public debates about complex question of migration law can go astray. That is what happened with a draft proposal for an amendment to the German Residence and Asylum Acts which is meant to facilitate, amongst others, the expulsion of members of criminal associations. The media and politicians criticised an alleged ‘clan liability’ of family members for the behaviour of relatives. In interviews with DER SPIEGEL (’Es handelt sich überwiegend um Symbolpolitik’) and the digital television format ZDF…

A classic theme of the German debate is the idea to replace the individual right to asylum by an ‘institutional guarantee’, for instance in the form of legal pathways. Christian Democrat Thorsten Frei has reactivated that long-standing argument in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. This proposal raises numerous legal and practical questions: is it compatible with human rights law? What kind of legal changes would be required? What happens with those entering irregularly, not least in light of…

One can easily get lost in the ‘jungle’ of European migration law, which is defined by an ever-increasing complexity with more than three dozen directives and regulations, numerous court judgments, international treaties, reform proposals, and factual developments. In a careful inspection of the legal material, Daniel Thym provides a comprehensive assessment which combines an introduction to core features with a reliable inventory of legal developments. The first edition of the 700-page volume…

Thousands are dying each year in the Mediterranean trying to reach the European Union. What appears to be the biggest shipwreck so far has refocused public attention on the immense loss of life: several hundred migrants and refugees died off the coast of Western Greece on their way to Italy. In the 25-minute format STREITKULTUR (‘debating culture’) with the public radio station DEUTSCHLANDFUNK, Professor Thym discusses the tragic event and implications for EU border control and asylum policies…

17% of the German population are foreign-born; many more have a ‘migration background’. This profound transformation entails that the collective self-image of Germany requires adaptation, also considering that the optimism of previous debates about equal membership has faded. Marginalised perspective call for recognition and structural change. A workshop, organised by Daniel Thym and two experts of literature, will bring together an interdisciplinary group on 22/23 June 2023. Participants will…

The Research Centre Immigration & Asylum Law will co-organise the Workshop on ‘Narratives for a Country of Immigration’ (in German), which will take place at the University of Konstanz on 21/22 June 2023 in physical presence.  The Regional Minister for Integration of Baden-Württemberg, Manfred ‘Manne’ Lucha, will contribute a political Keynote über „Zugehörigkeit und Zusammenhalt in Baden-Württemberg“ (Thursday, 21 June at 18:15), which can also be followed online as a hybrid event. External…

After more than 7 years of occasionally heated debates, Member States have agreed on a common position on two core pieces of asylum legislation. German politicians have reacted with mixed feelings: while domestic debates have yearned for a ‘European solution’ for years, some lament restrictive tendencies or the absence of immediate effects on the overburdened German reception system. Daniel Thym discusses the compromise with various media channels, amongst others in a 45-minute debate with the…

Asylum policy reform takes centre stage in the public debate in Germany and the EU in response to a ‘refugee summit’ in the chancellery and the forthcoming ‘showdown’ over the ongoing legislative debate in Brussels. These debates epitomise an underlying challenge: will Germany and Europe face continued ad hoc improvisation or witness a fundamental revision preparing the ground for a more sustainable asylum system? Will the reform proposals, if adopted, change much in practice? In an interview…