After the Russian attack in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, more than 5 million people have left Ukraine and at least the same number is displaced within the country. The European Union was quick to react: it activated for the first time the Temporary Protection Directive, providing immediate protection for those fleeing Ukraine. At the same time, the French Council Presidency is working hard to reach an agreement on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum proposed by the European Commission in September 2020.
Can the EU overcome its differentiated past in migration and asylum policy and deepen integration in this field? What are the similarities and differences between the refugee situations in 2015 and now? Is the EU able to achieve a unified migration policy and what are the challenges and opportunities of differentiated integration in this field?
The townhall meeting was co-organised by TEPSA and the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in the framework of the project ‘DiCE – Differentiation: Clustering Excellence’.
Speakers included:
- Saila Heinikoski, Senior Research Fellow, FIIA
- Kirsi Pimiä, Permanent Secretary, Finnish Ministry of the Interior
- Cecilia Verklej, Vice-Director, DG Home, European Commission
- Kari Loukkaanhuhta, Head Of Coast Guard And Law Enforcement Unit, Frontex
- Jolanta Szymańska, Head of EU Programme, Polish Institute Of International Affairs
- Anna-Kaisa Hiltunen, Special Advisor On Communications, Hybrid CoE
- Juha Jokela, Programme Leader, FIIA
