The response of the selected small member states of the European Union to the migration crisis : doctoral dissertation

english

doktorska dela

2022

Univerza v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za upravo
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The European migration crisis is one of the greatest transnational challenges the EU has faced recently. This dissertation contributes to the ex-post dialogue by focusing specifically on two transit countries for migrations - Croatia and Slovenia. To understand these challenges, we began with a literature review of three areas: 1) crisis management of the migration crisis, 2) small (EU) states, and 3) EU multi-level governance. This interdisciplinary approach supported the multiple case study method, which included a thorough review of secondary literature, assessing the level of preparedness to respond to a transboundary crisis, and conducting one-on-one interviews with relevant stakeholders. We then conducted a comparative analysis and created a strategic roadmap for holistically addressing future crises. The findings show that there was a lack of a holistic strategy to address the migration crisis and that the early warning function was very weak, leading to ad-hoc work by actors and stakeholders. The EU response was late and insufficient, leaving migration pressures in individual countries and creating tensions in multi-level governance across borders and sectors. The main academic contribution is that it comprehensively addresses the response by developing an interdisciplinary methodology. Practical implications include crisis response analysis, capacity assessment, shortfall analysis, and strategic roadmap development. Limitations of the research refer to both data collection due to language barriers or data accessibility and data analysis due to the isolation of the migration peak, the parallel study of all levels of government, and the selection of only two states and only one crisis. The dissertation maintains its originality and adds value particularly through its interdisciplinary approach that assesses the complexity of the crisis from a national perspective, provides a numerical assessment of crisis management capacity, and offers a strategic roadmap for future potential crises.

15.05.2023