Fostering migrants’ participation in policymaking processes at the EU level.
A critical analysis of the European Commission’s Expert Group on the views of migrants.
As of January 2023, the EU had 27.3 million non-EU migrants, 6.1% of its population, yet they lack voting rights for the European Parliament, raising questions about the democratic legitimacy of EU governance and representation. To respond to this democratic deficit, in 2020, the European Commission (EC) established the ‘Expert Group on the views of migrants’ to involve migrants and their representative organisations in the design and implementation of EU policy on migration, asylum, and integration. This paper investigates how the EC’s Expert Group fosters migrants' political participation in EU policymaking. It found that while the Expert Group facilitates participation when members' views align with the EC, it constrains participation on sensitive topics. The findings indicate that the Expert Group supports EC priorities over migrants' needs, contradicting its representative mission. The paper concludes by emphasising the need to reimagine migrants’ political participation to enable them to genuinely shape policies affecting them.
Rationalisation of violence against migrants in EU policies.
The European Union’s (EU) externalisation policies disproportionately expose African and Middle Eastern migrants to violence both during their journeys and upon arrival in the EU. Despite being framed with humanitarian rhetoric, these policies legitimise harmful practices under the guise of migration management. This article examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in EU migration policies, arguing that its deployment often exacerbates systemic harm and raises urgent ethical concerns. Additionally, the article critiques how narratives surrounding the criminalisation of migration reinforce a securitised perspective, shaping policies that justify violations of migrants’ rights at EU borders. By framing these practices as necessary for maintaining border security, the EU normalises the surveillance and control of migrants in ways that would be unacceptable for its citizens.