Migration from Central and Eastern Europe and Societal Security in the European Union. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series, Vol. 1 No. 2, August 2002

Ibryamova, Nouray. (2002) Migration from Central and Eastern Europe and Societal Security in the European Union. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series, Vol. 1 No. 2, August 2002. [Working Paper]

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Abstract

Following the end of the Cold War, terrorism, cross-border crime, drug-trafficking, and immigration have replaced traditional frontier disputes as main sources of insecurity for the countries of the European Union. The main debates surrounding the movement of people have focused on the strict control of immigration and minimizing the number of asylum seekers – the creation of a so-called “Fortress Europe” – and the links made between security, criminality and migration. No longer associated solely with labor market dislocations, humanitarian reasons, and social integration concerns, migration has become part of the new national security agendas of the receiving and transit countries. Thus, the perceived threats to economic well-being, social order, cultural and religious values, and political stability have placed migration policies within a framework intended to protect the societies of Western Europe. The spotlight in the public discourse has been on asylum and illegal immigration from the developing countries. Immigration from the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), most of them soon to become members of the Union, remains sidelined by the more conspicuous cases of racially, ethnically, or religiously charged immigration from developing countries, who are perceived as a challenge to the identity of the recipient societies as well as to their social and economic well-being. This paper will attempt to discuss how immigration to the European Union from the CEECs is securitized and will argue that this process takes place primarily along the dimension of social welfare, rather than cultural identity.

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