Florian Trauner
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ftrauner.bsky.social
Florian Trauner
@ftrauner.bsky.social

Professor of political science at the #VUB and Dean of the VUB’s @bsog.be | working on #EuropeanGovernance; #migration; #asylum; #InternalSecurity | teaching also at the @collegeofeurope.bsky.social

Political science 80%
Sociology 11%

Curious about how fairness and solidarity can reshape EU asylum policy—and what the Dublin system teaches us for the new solidarity mechanism? Join my talk on Monday, 24 Nov at 16:00 in Vienna (in English, online access available). Register and take part!

eif.univie.ac.at/downloads/ve...
eif.univie.ac.at

Hey Saskia, the Press Release of the Commission summarizes the categories of the different countries in a precise way: ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Commission launches first Annual Migration Management Cycle under the Pact on Migration and Asylum
Today, the European Commission is taking a further step in implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum by launching the first Annual Migration Management Cycle.
ec.europa.eu

I had a bit of a mix up with countries so I created a new one today. It also includes new information...

👀 Let’s hope this outcome is avoided. The next steps in operationalising the Solidarity Mechanism will require close attention and political finesse. The stakes for EU asylum responsibility-sharing are high. 🇪🇺✨

🔁 Some capitals have floated another condition: they might only accept relocations if 🇮🇹 Italy and 🇬🇷 Greece resume taking more Dublin transfers.

This could lead to zero-sum exchanges of migrants rather than genuine burden-sharing — hardly the goal of solidarity. ⚖️

➕ All in all, 18 Member States are experiencing some form of pressure — while 9 are not.

But here comes the political crunch: several governments, notably 🇭🇺 Hungary, strongly oppose relocations. So will the Council be able to assemble meaningful solidarity pledges? 🧠

So who remains? 🟢 Nine states are reported to have no migratory pressures: 🇩🇰 Denmark, 🇭🇺 Hungary, 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, 🇲🇹 Malta, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇷🇴 Romania, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇸🇮 Slovenia, 🇸🇪 Sweden.

🔄 Four countries sit in both categories: 🇧🇬 Bulgaria, 🇪🇪 Estonia, 🇭🇷 Croatia and again 🇵🇱 Poland.

They are simultaneously “at risk” and already facing “significant” challenges. These states can seek deductions and qualify for financial support. 🧰

🧮 Six Member States — among them 🇦🇹 Austria and 🇨🇿 Czechia — are classified as facing a significant migratory situation.

They can request deductions from their contributions to the Solidarity Pool. That means that they may not offer relocations, but financial contributions remain expected. 💼

💶 These states may access financial support, and their situation will be reassessed relatively quickly.

Twelve others — including major players like 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇫🇷 France and 🇵🇱 Poland — are labelled at risk of migratory pressures.

This can stem from high arrivals, overstretched reception systems, or concerns about the weaponisation of migration. ⚠️

🌊 Four states are officially under migratory pressure: 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇨🇾 Cyprus, 🇪🇸 Spain and 🇮🇹 Italy.

They can tap into the full set of EU solidarity tools: relocations, financial aid, and operational or technical assistance. 🤝

Reposted by Steve Peers

🇪🇺📊 The @ec.europa.eu has released its first European Annual Asylum and Migration Report. It maps the migratory situation across all Member States and outlines who may receive support — and who is expected to provide it. The key question: can the system work in practice? 🧩

I have to correct myself here: Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia and Poland are counted for both categories (risk and significant situation). The total is then not 22 but 14. Apologies for the error.

Here is the link to the full report: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/dow...
home-affairs.ec.europa.eu

If that happens, solidarity stays a paper tiger 🐯 — more rhetoric than reality.

Next up: turning solidarity into action. ⚙️

But here’s the catch — real, tangible support will rely on a small group of states carrying most of the weight.

Two big risks ahead:
1️⃣ Solidarity contributions may fall short of making a real difference 💶
2️⃣ Key member states might refuse to play along ❌

That’s very likely far more than the Commission initially hoped for — reflecting intense 🇪🇺 lobbying by governments eager for formal recognition of migratory pressures. Who is exactly on the list was probably a main reason why the publication of this report was delayed for about a month.

🟡 18 others face the "risk of migratory pressures" or a "significant migration situation".
➡️ That’s 22 member states entitled to solidarity or to reduce their contributions regarding solidarity for others.

📊 4 countries officially under “migratory pressure”: 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇨🇾 Cyprus, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇮🇹 Italy

Reposted by Maarten Vink

Es freut mich, einen Beitrag für @bpb.de zum Thema
EU-Informationskampagnen zur Abschreckung irregulärer Migration verfasst zu haben. Frei online abrufbar👇

www.bpb.de/themen/migra...
EU-Informationskampagnen zur Abschreckung irregulärer Migration | EU-Migrations- und Asylpolitik | bpb.de
Informationskampagnen sollen „aufklären“, häufig auch mithilfe abschreckender Geschichten und Bilder. Das soll irreguläre Migration verhindern. Funktioniert das?
www.bpb.de

Reposted by Steve Peers

🚨 New publication out!
Together with @linavosyliute.bsky.social, we examine the EU’s risk of falling into a far-right trap in the negotiations on the Return Regulation.
📄 Published as an open-access Policy Brief by @birmm.bsky.social l — free to read & share!

zenodo.org/records/1696...
The EU's Return Regulation: Negotiating on the Basis of Evidence, not Narratives
zenodo.org

Reposted by Steve Peers

Our article on the impact on Russia's war against Ukraine on the reform of the Common European Asylum System has finally ended its "early view"-status. It found a home in the current issue of European Politics and Society - and is still freely accessible to all.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The impact of the Russian war against Ukraine on the reform of the common European asylum system
This article analyses how the Russian invasion and the mass influx of Ukrainians have impacted the Europeanisation dynamics in EU asylum policy, notably the process of reforming the Common European...
www.tandfonline.com

Happy to have engaged with the 'Foundation for Family Businesses and Politics' on the subject of migration, skills shortages and Europe's strive to attract talent.
#SkillsShortage #EuropeanTalent #FamilyBusinesses

youtu.be/0CWWsldfufg?...
Spotlight Brussels with Prof. Florian Trauner: How Can Europe Attract Top Talent?
YouTube video by Stiftung Familienunternehmen und Politik
youtu.be

Reposted by Maarten Vink

Before the 2015 refugee crisis, the cash-strapped World Food Programme had to drop 1/3 of its Syrian refugees from food vouchers in its Middle Eastern programme. A few months later, arrival numbers in Europe increased. Now, 10 years later, all of this seems forgotten...

www.ft.com/content/976f...
Aid cuts are driving migrants to Europe, warns UN refugee chief
Filippo Grandi calls on EU countries to support existing asylum facilities in Africa rather than create new schemes
www.ft.com

Reposted by Florian Trauner

Der Fluchtforschungsblog startet die Blogreihe „10 Jahre nach dem langen Sommer der Migration“!

Den Anfang macht der Artikel „Notfallmaßnahmen in der EU-Asylpolitik – Wenn die Ausnahme zur Regel wird“ von Florian Trauner @ftrauner.bsky.social.

fluchtforschung.net/notfallmassn...

On #WorldRefugeeDay, we reflect on the EU’s asylum system—strained by growing use of national emergency powers to control migration.
Is this eroding EU asylum standards?

📘 Read our new @birmm.bsky.social Policy Brief: zenodo.org/records/1565...

#Refugees #EUAsylum #MigrationPolicy
World Refugee Day 2025: don't let national emergency measures become the new standard of EU asylum policy
zenodo.org

Reposted by Florian Trauner

🎓👏 We are thrilled to share that on 16 June 2025, Folashade Ajayi successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "Between making sense of and sensing Black activism in Germany".

The BSoG would like to congratulate Dr. Ajayi on this wonderful achievement!

#PhD #BSoG #VUB #research #BlackActivism