EU Borders, Migration and Mobility

The study of the EU migration and mobility policies and politics keeps on being at the centre of the EU research agenda. Deadlocks, compromises, proposals for reform, and crises alternate on the political scene, creating dynamics and impacts that hold both empirical and theoretical relevance. Crises have proved to be the norm rather the exception in the development of the EU migration and border governance systems, triggering scholarly debates about the re-bordering of European integration, differentiated integration and “crisisification” of EU policy-making). The age of “polycrisis” has also highlighted the extent to which a wide range of policy instruments attracting, admitting, selecting, controlling, or deterring migrants characterizes EU and European migration and border governance systems. While EU research has recognized this complexity, it has not consistently embraced it empirically or theoretically. The increasing complexity raises multiple insecurities regarding the EU's ability to manage its borders effectively, even in times of war. There are worries about whether the tools and practices employed in border governance violate human rights and put international protection at risk, eroding the EU's standing as a liberal actor. Moreover, amidst significant discord, doubts arise about the EU’s capacity to maintain its governance model, including within the Schengen zone and in the neighbourhood area. In a changing world characterized by growing migratory flows, there are concerns regarding the politics of shifting borders that make the EU unable to protect people on the move across risky borders. This section welcomes panels that empirically, theoretically, and methodologically address the “complexification” of the EU governance of borders, migration, and mobility across and beyond crises, and over time. Proposals may deal with any aspect of these topics: ▪️ old and new theoretical approaches to EU policy making in the field of migration and mobility; ▪️ methodological advancements in the study of EU migration policy-making; ▪️ EU borders, migration and mobility beyond crisis frameworks; ▪️ EU practices and discourses of bordering, (in)security and (im)mobility across various locations; ▪️ historical perspectives on European borders; ▪️ actors´ involved in the (re)bordering of Europe; ▪️ reforms and institutional deadlocks in the EU legal framework; ▪️ the practices and tools of migration and mobility governance; ▪️ the interaction between migration and non-migration policies; ▪️ populist and far-right parties and the governance of migration and mobility; ▪️ Artificial Intelligence and the EU borders’ control; ▪️ the internal-external nexus in the EU migration and mobility governance; ▪️ challenges and opportunities of migration scenarios and forecasting methods; ▪️ accountability and transparency in times of informal governance; ▪️ the impact of the war in Ukraine on migration policies. We welcome proposals from disciplines such as political science, history, law, geography, sociology, political science, but also encourage proposals for interdisciplinary panels.