In this debate club we discussed the recent migration crisis in the EU. Unlike the previous cases that mainly consisted in the migration flows from North Africa and Middle East to Southern European countries such as Italy and Greece through the Mediterranean Sea, the 2021 migration crisis has concerned the border of the EU, in particular Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, with Belarus.

We had a guest from Poland for this debate. Professor Agata Wierzbowska gave a presentation on the Poland-Belarus border crisis in the context of the EU-Belarus relations and of the Poland-EU relations. First, Professor Wierzbowska explained the roots of the crisis, then compared the migration flow to Belarus with the Mediterranean flows, direct reactions to the crisis and related controversies, and finally concluded explaining the measures taken by the EU against Belarus.

After the presentation, students discussed in small groups about the migration crisis in Europe. At the end of the debate, each group suggested which measures could be appropriate to de-escalate the crisis.