MIGRATION GOVERNANCE AND THE RECONFIGURATION OF EUROPEAN UNION SECURITY: INSTITUTIONAL DYNAMICS AND STRATEGIC RESPONSES, 2022-2025
MIGRATION GOVERNANCE AND THE RECONFIGURATION OF EUROPEAN UNION SECURITY: INSTITUTIONAL DYNAMICS AND STRATEGIC RESPONSES, 2022-2025

Summary/Abstract: This article examines migration governance as a strategic field through which the European Union reconfigured important dimensions of its security architecture between 2022 and 2025. It argues that migration should be understood not only as a matter of mobility or humanitarian protection, but also as a strategic factor that has reshaped the institutional, legal, and security architecture of the Union. Drawing on migration studies, European integration theory, and securitisation approaches, the article examines three main dimensions: the coordinated response to the mass displacement caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, centred on temporary protection and the Strategic Compass; the changing configuration of migration routes, operational risks, and data-driven forms of monitoring, including the growing role of EU agencies; and the legal-institutional consolidation introduced by the Pact on Migration and Asylum. The analysis shows that migration has contributed to a shift from ad hoc crisis management to a more centralised, securitised, and multi-level governance framework. At the same time, it highlights a persistent tension between human security and hybrid-threat management, with important implications for solidarity, border control, and the protection of fundamental rights within the European Union. The study is carried out within the national initiative “SENREMO-The National Security of the Republic of Moldova in the Context of EU Accession” and Jean Monnet Chair “EU’s role in the emerging international system”.

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