New report: Bear any burden - How EU governments can manage the refugee crisis

“Bear any burden: How EU governments can manage the refugee crisis” by Susi Dennison and Josef Janning for the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), explores the limitations of Europe’s collective response to the refugee crisis and finds that high-profile political divisions between Europe’s member states have provided cover for governments to shirk implementation of efforts to manage the refugee flow.

It recommends that the EU move away from an approach to solidarity based solely on relocation numbers, to one that recognises other contributions that states can make – from financial support and human resources for reception, accommodation and integration as part of an intergovernmental taskforce. with a first role in stabilising the situation in Greece, to external border management

Such an agreement will allow all states to demonstrably contribute within their means and the realities of domestic politics. It would also provide for the better integration of a foreign policy dimension by allowing EU member states include foreign policy measures, such as humanitarian support for neighbourhood states under pressure, long term overseas aid to refugee camps in other regions, the resettlement of refugees from camps.

Download the report here.