The European Migration System and Global Justice. First Appraisal

The large inflow of migrants to Europe over the last years has made the refugees and migrants issue a focal point of the current political debate. The strain on the Dublin System and the blatant inconsistencies of the European approach to migration have served as a ‘wake up call’, bringing to the fore the need to overhaul the EU’s role in the governance of this policy area, riddled with tensions between Member States. Some Member States have accused the European Union (EU) of imposing regulations that affect them negatively; on the other hand, the EU has accused countries such as Italy and Greece of failing to comply with the existent rules. Inter-state solidarity has frequently been lacking, and violations of human rights with respect to the migrants have been documented. Moreover, the migration crisis has disclosed a number of normative and ethical issues connected to the current management of migration in the EU: to what extent can such a system be reasonably deemed just? Just for whom? Does the European management of migration live up to the principles of global justice? This report explores the main tenets of the EU's migration and asylum policy, sketches the main characteristics of the migration and asylum policy in a sample of European countries and draws implications in terms of justice according to the three categories of justice adopted in the Globus project of which this publication is a product (non-domination, impartiality and mutual recognition).