Welcome to our Young Generation Policy Briefs series! In this third issue, Paul-Hendrik Himmel, Charlotte Hölscher and Alan Khal state the EU-Tunisia migration agreement to expose contradiction between the EU’s migration policy and its core values of human rights and the rule of law. While aiming to curb irregular migration, the authors argue, EU cooperation enables human rights violations and supports a repressive security apparatus. This policy brief evaluates three options: EU withdrawal, which would weaken its credibility, a comprehensive migration policy reform, currently unfeasible, and a targeted revision of the agreement. The latter is the most viable, requiring strict human rights conditions, independent monitoring, and safe migration routes to align EU policy with its values and political interests.
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Young Generation Policy Brief no. 3:
About the authors:
Paul-Hendrick Himmel
Paul-Hendrik Himmel recently obtained a bachelor’s degree in the Viadrina’s “Law and Policy” programme. His interest in migration policy led him to the topic of his thesis, which dealt with the principle of non-refoulement in European law. In Frankfurt (Oder), Paul-Hendrik lives in an international, self-governed community.
Charlotte Hölscher
Charlotte Hölscher is an international master's student at the University of Padova on the Management of Sustainable Firms programme. As part of her studies, she completed an Erasmus semester at the European University Viadrina, where she dealt intensively with international economic and social issues. Having grown up in an international environment and been influenced by numerous experiences abroad, she developed a special interest in globalisation early on. For her, migration is not only a highly topical and socially relevant issue, but also one with far-reaching economic, social and political implications. Her academic background and personal experience enable her to migration and migration agreements from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Alaa Khal
Alaa Khal is a student at the European University Viadrina and a migrant himself. He has several years of experience in labour market integration and is intensively involved with migration policy at EU level, particularly in Germany. His focus is on the structural analysis of migration policy measures, which are often designed as short-term solutions without addressing the long-term causes. With two master's degrees and over three years of professional experience in labour market integration, he has written numerous academic papers on this topic. He criticises the fact that, despite a considerable shortage of skilled workers, Germany sees migration as a problem rather than a win-win situation, and sustainable integration policy solutions. In addition to his academic and professional activities, he is in close contact with the migrant community and contributes practical insights to political debates on migration and integration policy.
Young Generation Policy Briefs
The publication of policy briefs is an essential part of the Jean Monnet Policy Network “ValEUs”, as it allows for an extended societal dialogue on project results. ValEUs aims to provide a realistic account of EU foreign policy and to scrutinise attacks on its foundational values. The Young Generation Policy Briefs series introduces the perspective of university students and other young voices, identifying problems with self-proclaimed European values and suggesting possible solutions.
