Beyond a Fortress Europe
Beyond a Fortress Europe

A critical analysis of theory and policy of European border control

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the link commonly made between border control and crime prevention, which underpins European discourse on immigration policy. In order to do so, it firstly looks at the theoretical and ideological background of these policies, as well as the political context in which they operate. Indeed, they are a response to fears among the European population caused by global forces such as the abolition of internal borders in the European Union and globalization. These fears are then exploited by politicians, who, through what is known as ‘the politics of fear’, mobilise the electorate by pointing to foreigners as the common enemy of nationals. This, in turn, results in the institutionalisation of the link between border control and security. Secondly, this paper looks at how, through this link, these ideas are translated into policies. In order to do this, the paper critically analyses European treaties and policies such as the Dublin agreement and the Refugee Convention. Following this, the paper will question their effectiveness and success as security measures. The deconstruction of the link between immigration control and security shows that these policies are not empirically rooted and fail to provide durable and sustainable solutions for both border control and security.

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