Coordinating European hotspots: A network governance analysis of the European crisis response

Abstract

In 2015, more than a million migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean Sea to enter Europe. As part of the European Agenda on Migration from May 2015, the Union’s response included setting up hotspots in the frontline Member States Italy and Greece to identify, register and receive the migrants. An important role in implementation was played by European agencies, including the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), Frontex and Europol, which have given operational support to Member States in setting up and operating the procedures in the hotspots. Together with Italy and Greece, the European institutions have played a central role in the coordination of the network of national authorities, agencies, international organizations and NGOs. The thesis seeks to analyse the Union’s response to the migration crisis and the coordination mechanisms that have developed. In a comparative analysis between the implementation of hotspots in Italy and Greece, network governance is applied to determine which factors have contributed to the effectiveness of coordination.