The Perpetual Rebranding of Fortress Europe
FIRST INSTANCE: The 'Migration Crisis' as a Permanent State The concept of a pervasive 'migration crisis' demanding ever-harsher border controls gained significant traction around 2015 . This period saw a dramatic increase in arrivals, predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, nations destabilized by Western military interventions or protracted conflicts. The response was immediate: a
perceived 'crisis' requiring emergency measures, rather than a predictable outcome of geopolitical forces. REPETITIONS: The Evolution of Externalization 2016: EU-Turkey Deal. The EU signed an agreement with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees to Greece, offering financial aid in exchange for Turkey taking back irregular migrants. Critics, including Amnesty International (2016), immediately
highlighted concerns about refoulement and human rights abuses, likening it to outsourcing border control. 2020: Morocco-Spain Border. Spain reportedly used EU funds to pressure Morocco into reinforcing its borders, leading to increased violence against migrants attempting to cross into Europe, as documented by Human Rights Watch (2020). The 'safe third country' concept began to solidify, allowing
returns to countries where migrants might face further peril. 2022: 'Schengen Area' Expansion & Border Walls. While advocating for open internal borders, EU states simultaneously financed and constructed physical barriers on external frontiers. Poland, for instance, completed a 5.5-meter high steel wall on its border with Belarus in 2022 , justifying it as a response to 'hybrid aggression'