Leuven – ESI on migration fears and populism at Leuven University

Photo: Leuven Institute for Advanced Study on Justice and Migration

ESI’s Gerald Knaus was invited as a guest lecturer at Leuven Institute for Advanced Study on Justice and Migration. Gerald participated in the New Horizons in Justice and Migration Conference and the GOODINT‘s Annual Workshop, which took place at the Institute of Philosophy by RIPPLE (Research in Political Philosophy and Ethics Leuven).

In his presentations, “Migration, fear and the European extreme right” and “Politics, morality and the future of irregular migration”, Gerald explored the connection between migration fears and the rise of the European extreme right. He focused on the far-right narratives of “replacement” and “loss of control”, examining the growth of Germany’s AfD in regions like Thuringia and Saxony, where the party leveraged fear and radical anti-immigration rhetoric. Gerald pointed out that this trend demonstrates how anti-immigrant discourse translates into political gains, fuelling populism and weakening European unity.

Gerald highlighted the vulnerabilities in the Schengen Area and EU border law enforcement, noting that some countries exploit these weaknesses, undermining the rights of asylum seekers. He compared these failures with past milestones in EU cooperation, advocating for strong, humane border policies. He described the tragic outcomes of current EU border practices, including high migrant mortality and disputes over asylum responsibilities among member states, contrasting these with more effective solutions, such as the 2016 EU-Turkey agreement.

Gerald concluded by discussing the far right’s fear of humane migration policies, which would reduce their electoral appeal. He stressed the need for a strategy that ensures controlled borders while upholding European values, warning that an alternative course driven by populist “real borders” rhetoric risks fracturing European integration and undermining the EU’s moral and legal principles.