Migration in Europe Amid Uncertainty: Diverging Policy Responses, Security and Social Inclusion Dilemmas

Abstract

Over the past decade, Europe has been confronted with a series of overlapping and mutually reinforcing crises that have generated heightened levels of uncertainty across political, economic, and social domains. This condition, often described as a “polycrisis,” has intensified pressures on European governance and societal resilience. Within this broader environment, migration has emerged as a critical and persistent challenge, particularly since 2015. Prolonged armed conflicts, political instability, and humanitarian emergencies in regions such as the Middle East and Africa have continued to drive large-scale migration flows along Mediterranean routes. At the same time, the war in Ukraine has reshaped migration dynamics within Europe, producing significant displacement while simultaneously exacerbating geopolitical tensions, energy insecurity, and broader security concerns. As a result, migration has become deeply intertwined with questions of security and geopolitics, affecting both national and European Union–level policy agendas. Beyond addressing immediate humanitarian needs, European states face complex challenges related to border management, hybrid threats, regional instability, and the instrumentalization of migration in geopolitical confrontations. In parallel, host societies must navigate the social inclusion of migrants and refugees under conditions of heightened insecurity and political polarization, where concerns over social cohesion, trust, and democratic stability are increasingly salient. The challenges posed by the contemporary migration crisis may thus be broadly categorized into three interrelated dimensions: (a) responding to urgent humanitarian and protection needs; (b) managing security risks and geopolitical instability in Europe’s wider neighborhood through coordinated international and EU-level strategies; and (c) addressing reciprocal social inclusion challenges affecting migrants, refugees, and host communities in order to sustain social cohesion under conditions of uncertainty. This panel seeks to engage with—though is not limited to—these pressing issues, fostering dialogue on policy responses and governance frameworks, while contributing new perspectives to ongoing academic debates on migration, security, geopolitics, and social inclusion.

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