This paper was accepted to the Conference in Toulouse (University Sciences Po). The year 2015 saw an unprecedented arrival of refugees and migrants to Europe through the 'Western Balkans migration route' where the states established the so-called 'corridor of convenience'. The operation of this corridor was outside the normative framework and was handled as a de facto 'state of exception'. The most notable feature of this 'state of exception situation' was limitation of movement – a measure imposed on all persons who were transited through state territories, with an aim to both penalise and control these individuals. This measure was clearly arbitrary, raising a significant rule of law problem – there was no legal basis for it in the national law nor international law. This systematic limitation of movement is an example of a criminal law element used for surveillance of refugees and migrants, adding to increasingly strong presence of 'crimmigration' trends in global migration management.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1155437This paper was accepted for the conference held at the University of Maryland, US. The paper addressed the role of the European Union in strengthening of crimmigration approaches to migration in different countries of Southeastern Europe. These countries harmonized, or are in the process of harmonization of their national legal systems with the EU rules on border control, asylum and return. The impact of harmonization s two-fold – on one hand it is bringing opportunities to the citizens of these countries who are able or will be able to enjoy the benefits of EU membership, while on the other hand it is making it more difficult for migrants who are interested to transit the Southeastern Europe in order to reach Northern or Western Europe. The reasons for increasing crimmigration trends in this region stem from genuine national security concerns on one hand to pure convenience on the other hand. The paper will explore these processes, present the similarities and differences between the systems in the countries and elaborate on the possible future trends.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1165165This paper was accepted by the organizers at the International Metropolis Conference which was in 2016 held in Japan. The period from 2015 to 2016 saw an unprecedented arrival of refugees and migrants to Europe through the 'Western Balkans migration route' where the states established the so-called 'corridor of convenience'. The operation of this corridor was outside the normative framework and was handled as a de facto 'state of exception'. This situation was governed by unpublished ad-hoc rules that were changing on a daily basis, creating an extremely unpredictable and uncertain situation for all stakeholders involved, in particular for the migrants and the refugees themselves. The crisis was countered by the EU with an erection of a fence between Macedonia and Greece, with signing a legally non-binding political agreement between EU and Turkey that introduced several legally problematic aspects to migration management, and with operating of fenced hot spots in Greek islands where those detained are penalized for their entry into the EU. These measures are indicators of more and more criminal law elements that are being used for surveillance of refugees and migrants, growing criminalization of migration and humanitarian support to migrants, adding to increasingly strong 'crimmigration' trends in global migration management. These developments raise a number of concerns about the current restrictive and very often unlawful attitudes and policies in this field, and encourage a reflection process on alternative models of approaching and understanding migration in the contemporary world.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 1164397