http://hdl.handle.net/1814/812 Sat, 08 Jul 2017 07:28:04 GMT 2017-07-08T07:28:04Z http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47168 From temporary protection to transit migration : responses to refugee crises along the Western Balkan route SARDELIĆ, Julija In recent history, the countries along the Western Balkan route faced several refugee crises. In the 1990s refugee crises were the result of the conflicts after the disintegration of the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). Between the summer of 2015 and early 2016, the European continent faced another refugee crisis due to the ongoing civil war in Syria. During the 2015/16 refugee crisis, different political leaders, especially in the post-Yugoslav space, claimed that their humanitarian approach towards refugees was based on their previous experience with refugee crises from the 1990s. This paper explores and compares legal and political responses to different refugee crises in the in-between countries along the Western Balkan route: three European Union (EU) Member States (Austria, Slovenia and Croatia) and two EU candidate countries (Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia). In the first part, the paper looks at the impact of the refugee crisis on EU law. It shows how EU law was developed due to the post-Yugoslav refugee crisis (Temporary Protection Directive), but then faced ambivalent application during the 2015/16 refugee crisis. Second, it studies the transformation of national legislation during both refugee crises in the chosen countries. On the basis of the socio-legal analysis of these transformations, the main argument is that there has been a major shift in the 'management' of the refugee crises in the countries along the Western Balkan route: while the main approach adopted during the post-Yugoslav refugee crisis was temporary protection, this approach was replaced with a 'transit migration' approach during the 2015/16 refugee crisis. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47168 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47164 Monuments under attack : from protection to securitisation RUSSO, Alessandra; GIUSTI, Serena In recent times, terrorist and insurgent groups such as Al-Qaeda affiliates and the Islamic State have turned their violent acts towards cultural heritage. Historical artefacts, monuments, museums and archaeological sites have been attacked and destroyed. This paper seeks to analyse, through a discursive lens, the pathway that characterises the international protection of cultural heritage in crisis-torn scenarios, from politicisation, to criminalisation, and securitisation. We do so by mapping the narrative threads constructed by the main international actors in reaction to the recent attacks to archaeological sites (i.e., Palmyra) and historical artefacts. We seek to offer a tentative explanation of the assumed process of securitisation of cultural heritage. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47164 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47144 Leveraging diversity : Europe’s China policy REILLY, James The widespread assumption that 'Europe must speak to China with one voice' misses important advantages of the EU's divided sovereignty structure. European states frequently secure economic benefits from China while deflecting Beijing's demands for reciprocal policy concessions off to Brussels. EU negotiators utilize internal constraints through 'two-level games' that strengthen their bargaining position with Beijing. EU member states have exploited their dual identities to expand engagement with China, attract Chinese investment, and build financial cooperation. The reputed downsides of European division often represent either unrealistic expectations or relatively modest concerns for Europe. Going forward, European scholars and officials should adopt a more realistic sense of what the EU's China policy might achieve, identify when and why Europeans have been most effective in engaging China, and develop strategies to further leverage Europe's diversity. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47144 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47064 Taking stock of Assisted Voluntary Return from Europe : decision making, reintegration and sustainable return : time for a paradigm shift KUSCHMINDER, Katie Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) is a central component of European Union (EU) member states migration management policies and has grown in popularity over the past two decades. At present, all EU member states have active AVR programmes, however, despite the growing prevalence of these programmes there has been a dearth of research and evaluation on AVR. In addition, a common goal of these AVR programmes is to achieve a sustainable return, but this term lacks a commonly used definition, making sustainable return an ambiguous policy objective. This paper takes stock of the most recent research on AVR focusing on decision making in the uptake of AVR, reintegration, and sustainable return. It is argued that it is time for a fundamental shift in our underlying assumptions regarding sustainable return in the field of AVR policy and practice. The working paper addresses key research gaps in the field and poses recommendations on how to move the agenda forward on AVR. Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1814/47064 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z