A "Fresh Start" or Fractured Governance? Decoupling Humanitarian Rhetoric from Securitized Practice in the EU Migration Pact

Despite its promise of a “fresh start,” the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum (NPMA) reveals a significant, strategic disconnect between its humanitarian rhetoric and its securitized practices. This article examines the gap between the NPMA's words and actions through the lens of organizational decoupling. By triangulating quantitative frame analysis of official documents, process tracing, and expert interviews, the article analyzes three policy areas: legal pathways, returns/external partnerships, and border management. The findings demonstrate a consistent gap between the ambitious humanitarian and solidaristic rhetoric promoted by the Parliament and the Commission and the actual practices implemented. The actual outcomes are influenced by the Council’s security priorities and member states’ discretion, resulting in a regime that relies on non-binding instruments, informal procedures, and operational drift. This analysis enhances the understanding of decoupling as a common governance practice within the EU and its effects on the protection of rights, accountability, and policymaking.