The Mediterranean Migration Crisis: A Critical Analysis of Current Legal Mechanisms and Policy Responses of EU
Öz
The Mediterranean migration crisis has exposed persistent structural weaknesses in the European Union’s migration and asylum governance. This study examines the EU’s principal legal mechanisms and policy responses, including the Dublin Regulation, the Schengen Agreement, the Common European Asylum System, and the European Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Using qualitative analysis of policy documents, legal frameworks, institutional reports, and selected case studies, the research evaluates how these instruments operate in practice and their consequences for migrants, frontline states, and host societies. The findings reveal that current EU policies place disproportionate responsibility on Mediterranean border states, produce inconsistent asylum outcomes, and prioritize border securitization over the protection of fundamental rights. Case studies such as the Moria camp fire, the Ceuta crisis, and state responses to NGO rescue operations illustrate the humanitarian and legal consequences of these policy choices. The study argues that without binding responsibility-sharing mechanisms and stronger integration-oriented reforms, EU migration governance will remain fragmented and reactive. It concludes by emphasizing the need for adaptable, rights-based policy frameworks that reconcile border management with humanitarian obligations and long-term migrant integration.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Irregular Migration, EU Migration Policies, Humanitarian Crisis, Border Security, Refugee Integration, Mediterranean Migration
Kaynakça
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