The Fragility of Europeanness: understanding Crimmigration in the European Union as a result of a security-focussed transnational identity

Abstract

Transnational processes of policy-development are often highly influenced by collective identities. In the case of the European Union, this identity is based on shared ideas on security. As a result, European policy frameworks contain securitised policies. The practices of migration and asylum have been included in the security framework. With the establishment of the Schengen-Dublin system, the European Union has institutionalised and criminalised their approach towards migration and asylum. During the last two decades, the European Union has used these criminalised policies as tools for the strengthening of its security identity. In 2020, the European Commission presented the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, as a response to the many critiques from scholars and political actors regarding its criminalised and failing migration framework. Although this new approach does demonstrate some positive developments, it should be considered a continuation of existing policies.