Berlin – ESI keynote at “Immigration City” congress: immigration and the wealth of cities

ESI’s Gerald Knaus was invited to give the keynote speech at the congress “Immigration City” organised by the Lebendige Stadt Foundation.

In his presentation, Gerald called for a paradigm shift to see migration as an opportunity rather than a threat, citing The Global Liveability Index which found cities with a high proportion of immigrants to be the most liveable, led by Vienna which received the highest rating worldwide.

He argued that human rights and the rule of law must be central to the debate on migration and refugees and noted that pushbacks have made Europe’s external borders deadly, undermining EU member states’ commitment to the rule of law. He advocated for humane borders that allow control and security while promoting regular mobility. Such an approach can disincentivize irregular migration and reduce deaths at sea by creating regular migration pathways in parallel. He pointed to the example of the 2016 EU-Turkey Statement, based on ESI’s “Merkel Plan”, that significantly decreased deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean.

To prevent pushbacks and inhumane borders, Gerald advocated for agreements with safe third countries. Such agreements aim to reduce irregular migration, disrupt smuggling networks, and ensure asylum processing in safe countries, providing protection to those in genuine need.

Photo: Stiftung Lebendige Stadt

Gerald also debunked myths and false narratives about migration, such as the misconception that refugees primarily come from distant lands and cultures. He provided concrete examples, showing that most of Europe’s refugees are Europeans fleeing conflicts within Europe, such as the wars in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered the largest migration movement in Europe since the Second World War, surpassing migration from Africa or the Middle East.

At the end of his presentation, Gerald pointed to Canada as a successful model of refugee resettlement for Europe to emulate.

• ESI proposal: Safe Third Country Agreements
• ESI proposal: EU-Turkey Statement 2.0