The war that opened Europe’s borders

Has Ukraine’s invasion thrown open Fortress Europe?

Refugees from Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, eastern Poland in February 2022
Refugees from Ukraine at the border crossing in Medyka, eastern Poland in February 2022 [File: Wojtek Radwanski/AFP]

It is hard to convey just how fast and how much Europe has changed, including at its borders. More than a million people fled from Ukraine to the European Union in just more than a week. But in Ukraine, residents from Africa and Asia have reported racism as they fled. On the EU side of the border, Ukrainian refugees have been granted unprecedented legal status. After years of hardening its borders, EU migration had become largely a story of limbo. Is what we are seeing now a new chapter – or is there fine print?

In this episode: 

Franck Duvell (@fduvell), senior researcher, Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück University
Alexander Somto Orah (@nzekiev), student at State University of Telecommunications, Kyiv
Erik Edman (@edmantweet), political director, DiEM25 (@DiEM_25)

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Source: Al Jazeera

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