Berlin – ESI presentation on migration at the South Korean embassy

13 December 2023
South Korean Embassy
Embassy of South Korea. Photo: Pymouss/Wikimedia Commons

ESI’s Gerald Knaus was invited to give a presentation on migration at the embassy of the Republic of Korea.

In his presentation, Gerald provided an overview of the prevailing narratives on migration, debunking misleading numbers and the aggressive language used by far-right populists. He then examined the EU’s asylum reform, concentrating on Germany. He discussed the government coalition’s approach to the migration debate and the rise of far-right movements in Germany. Additionally, Gerald spoke about deportations and migration agreements.

Furthermore, he explored the varying perspectives on migration across EU member states, identifying common themes. In particular, he focused on the impact of Hungarian Prime Minister’s Viktor Orban’s aggressive rhetoric and the results of the recent Dutch parliamentary elections.

Gerald argued for a paradigm shift in EU migration policy to effectively manage the increase in asylum applications and irregular Mediterranean crossings. Such a shift would reduce deaths in the Mediterranean, undermine the smugglers’ business model and lower the number of irregular arrivals. He proposed implementing specific cut-off dates, offering credible options for legal mobility, and establishing asylum procedures in safe third countries.

Lastly, Gerald addressed the potential for cooperation between Germany and South Korea on migration and asylum. He also discussed the topic of labour migration.