On April 10th, 2024, the European Parliament adopted the Pact on Migration and Asylum. The Atlas project, which examines how borders are drawn, who they divide, how different communities identify themselves, and what alternative methods of coexistence exist, finds this document crucial, as it mirrors contemporary issues related to human rights and migration policy trends. 

Responses to this agreement are very diverse. Right-wing politicians in many EU countries believe it’s not stringent enough, while human rights activists highlight potentially harmful aspects, like “sorting camps for refugees outside the EU,” which remind them of early 20th-century interrogation camps set up by regimes notorious for human rights violations.

The Aspire project prepared a report illustrating how EU migration policy goals, combined with their specific expression in EU legal acts, lead to several key policy issues. In essence, a system has been created that:

— Objectifies third-country nationals and incorporates structural discrimination against them;

— Comprises an overly complex and fragmented acquis that contradicts the principles of transparency, legal certainty, and clarity;

— Does not adequately uphold certain basic EU and international legal standards that third-country nationals who have migrated to the EU should benefit from, enabling them to control their lives. For example, the right to human dignity, non-discrimination, decent working conditions, facilitated transitions, and social cohesion;

— Can indirectly cause a third-country national to fall into irregular migration.

We asked Yan Matusevich, a Migration Researcher and PhD candidate in cultural anthropology at CUNY Graduate Center, to comment on this pact. We posed the following questions: What concerns him about this document? How much can this document influence the number of people seeking to enter Europe? What positives does he see in this document?

With this first video commentary, we begin the “Multiperspective” series, a joint project of syg.ma and The Dialogue Büro for Civil Society Cooperation, where we respond to significant events, offering expert perspectives from around the world.

Yan Matusevich is a Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). His doctoral research focuses on the experiences of Russian exiles who have relocated to Central Asia since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has previously studied transnational migrant communities linking Central Asia to Russia, Turkey, and South Korea. He holds an MA in migration studies from the University of Oxford and completed his undergraduate studies in political science at Bard College. He previously worked as an associate policy officer at the International Centre of Migration Policy (ICMPD) in Vienna and is now a freelance journalist based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The Dialogue Büro for Civil Society Cooperation is an Austrian non-profit organization that promotes democracy and human rights, sustainable development, non-discrimination, integration, and peace across Europe. Through thematic events, partnerships with other civil society organizations and initiatives, publications, and public discussions, we foster exchange and community building among civic organizations and engaged individuals. The Dialogue office prides itself on innovative formats, science-based political education, and networked approaches.