Fortress Europa: An Assessment of Europe’s Handling of the Refugee Crisis

This policy outlook seeks to draw a descriptive picture of the EU countries’ responses to the ongoing refugee crisis.

European Union member states have been exposed to various forms of migration over the last decades, with the crisis of 2015 marking one of the most significant migrant influxes. Contrary to the refugee crisis sparked by the Ukraine war, in dealing with the migrant crisis since 2015, the EU has been unable to formulate a common policy. In addition, their dealings with the 2015 refugee influx also show wide differences between member states. This policy outlook seeks to draw a descriptive picture of the EU countries’ responses to this ongoing crisis while delving into the position of various countries, analysing the EU countries under two groups: destination countries and border/transition countries.