Refuge Europe – a question of solidarity?
International conference at Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
September 30-October 2, 2019
Since 2015, migration towards and within Europe has created a ‘stress’ in the EU asylum and migration systems, challenging both the adequacy of the legal design of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and its practical implementation. Soon after the influx, the process was labeled as a “refugee crisis” by some, and “crisis of solidarity” by others, referring to the notion of solidarity and responsibility-sharing, which both are founding principles of the European Union. Our conference aims to reflect on these recent experiences with refugee reception in Europe and present research results on how those challenges have been tackled at the different levels of governance. The conference will discuss asylum governance and refugee reception from a multilevel governance perspective. It will integrate the migrants’ perspective and reflect their experiences of mobility, borders, arrival and settlement. It will furthermore reflect the massive politicization processes of migration and integration, which stimulated a transformation of the political landscape in many European countries. Last but not least, the conference will be attentive to best practice approaches in the field of refugee reception and asylum governance and will discuss future scenarios of a common European asylum system, based on the principle of solidarity and responsibility sharing. This conference is part of the Horizon 2020 project CEASEVAL Evaluation of the Common European Asylum System under Pressure and Recommendations for Further Development, which aims to evaluate the European Asylum System considering recent events of stress and elaborate possibilities for reform, based on the central idea of harmonization of regulations and solidarity among EU member states. The conference will give the floor to fellow researchers to present and discuss their findings in the field of refugee reception and asylum governance, focusing on the five thematic fields CEASEVAL is studying: (1) regulatory mechanisms of the CEAS, (2) multilevel governance of reception, (3) borders and the mobility of migrants, (4) patterns of politicization on refugees and policy responses and (5) rethinking solidarity – from lip service to good practice. Moreover, we will (6) debate methodological challenges of comparative fieldwork and (7) discuss good practice of dissemination to various audiences.
Venue and Organizational Issues
The conference will take place at Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany. Chemnitz is a midsize town, located in the federal state of Saxony, about three hours from Berlin or one hour from Dresden (several train and bus connections available). Nearest airports are Berlin, Leipzig/Halle, Dresden, and Prague. There are train and bus connections from all those airports to Chemnitz. Panels will be held in English and German, translation will be provided. Panels will start in the morning of 1st October and last until 2nd October, 2 p.m. At the 30th of September we hold a preconference day, devoted to committee meetings of the CEASEVAL project. Conference registration is open via the CEASEVAL website from the 1st of May. The conference fee will be 100 EUR (60 EUR for PhD students) and entails catering during the conference and the conference dinner on Tuesday evening. More details on travel, venue and room contingents in recommended hotels will be given during the second circular.
Organizing Committee
Birgit Glorius (Chemnitz University of Technology, GERMANY)
Melanie Kintz (Chemnitz University of Technology, GERMANY)
Michael Collyer (University of Sussex, UNITED KINGDOM)
Erica Consterdine (University of Sussex, UNITED KINGDOM)
Jeroen Doomernik (University of Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS)
Birte Nienaber (University of Luxembourg, LUXEMBOURG) Ferruccio Pastore (International and European Forum on Migration Research, FIERI, ITALY)
Martin Wagner (International Centre for Migration Policy Development, ICMPD, AUSTRIA)
Blanca Garces (Barcelona Centre for International Information and Documentation, CIDOB, SPAIN)
Minos Mouzourakis (European Council on Refugees and Exiles, ECRE, BELGIUM)
Evelien Brouwer (Stichting Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS)
Call for Papers
We invite scholars from various disciplines to submit abstracts that make an original theoretical and/or empirical contribution and fit into one of the panels listed below. Please submit your abstract in English or German (max. 300 words), indicating the panel you are applying for, together with your name, institution/affiliation, short-biography and contact details via email (ceaseval@gmail.com) by 15 April 2019. Applicants will be notified by 30 April 2019 about the outcome of their submission. Participants will be asked to prepare a presentation of 15 minutes to leave time for discussion. After the conference, participants will be invited to submit papers based on their conference presentation for a special issue in a leading journal and/or an edited volume of a leading publisher. More information about this will be shared prior to the conference. For further information, please contact either
Prof. Dr. Birgit Glorius (birgit.glorius@phil.tuchemnitz.de) or Dr. Melanie Kintz (melanie.kintz@phil.tu-chemnitz.de)
PANEL I: HARMONISATION IN THE CEAS: FORMS AND PERSPECTIVES
Convenors: Dr. Evelien Brouwer and Prof. Dr. Hemme Battjes (VU), Dr. Martin Wagner (ICMPD), Minos Mouzourakis (ECRE)
PANEL II: THE MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE OF RECEPTION
Convenors: Dr. Tiziana Caponio (University of Turin), Dr. Ferruccio Pastore (FIERI), Dr. Lucas Oesch (Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Luxembourg)
PANEL III: EVERYDAY BORDERS IN THE LIVES OF ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES COMING TO EUROPE
Convenors: Dr. Claudia Paraschivescu and Dr. Lucas Oesch (Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, University of Luxembourg)
PANEL IV: THE POLITICISATION OF RESPONSIBILITY
Convenors: Dr. Blanca Garces (CIDOB, Spain), Prof. Dr. Anna Krasteva (CERMES/NBU, Bulgaria), Dr. Erica Consterdine (University of Sussex, UK)
PANEL V: SOLIDARITY FROM BELOW: NEW PERSPECTIVES FROM THE LOCAL
Convenors: Prof. Dr. Birgit Glorius (TU Chemnitz, Germany), Dr. Jeroen Doomernik (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)
PANEL VI: ROUND TABLE: AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN POLICY AND SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE
Convenors: Dr. Jeroen Doomernik and Dr. Vincenzo Gomes (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)