Bernd Parusel

A Draconian Return System

The Return Regulation is terrible in many ways. verfassungsblog.de/a-draconian-...

A Draconian Return System

It’s a problematic piece of law, which I have explained here: verfassungsblog.de/a-draconian-...

EU Parliament’s right-wing camp seals deal to increase migrant deportations After centrist groups failed to reach an agreement on migration rules, right-wing groups pulled it off.

Seems that the EPP is again working with the far-right in the European Parliament, this time on return/deportation rules. www.politico.eu/article/eu-p...

How The Iran Conflict May Fuel A New International Refugee Crisis A new international refugee crisis may emerge from the Iran war. The humanitarian consequences of the Iran war will likely be felt throughout the Middle East—and beyond.

”Europe Watches the Situation Carefully”

Yes, but is it prepared? I’m afraid it isn’t.
www.forbes.com/sites/andyjs...

…as experiences with the Ukraine refugee situation has shown. @euobserver.com @nikolajnielsen.bsky.social

Deportations, visas and police powers on EU interior ministers’ agenda A senior EU diplomat told reporters that ministers will focus on ways to compel people to return home voluntarily, amid wider migration talks on working with Lebanon and Libya.

”A commission spokesperson cited the [crisis and force majeure] regulation as a potential response to any mass exodus of people fleeing Iran towards Europe.”
➡️ Using the temporary protection directive could be a much better option… euobserver.com/205550/depor...

‘Imperialist undertones’: global south condemns US-Israeli war with Iran China calls it unacceptable to ‘kill leader of sovereign state’, while South Africa questions ‘pre-emptive’ justification

”Commentators said Europe had shown double standards, stridently defending international law when it came to Trump’s attempts to annex Greenland but muted in the case of this war.” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

“For now, we do not have reason to believe that there are changes in the migratory flows,” a commission spokesperson told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday (3 March).

Hundreds have fled from Iran to Azerbaijan amid intensifying conflict Estimates suggest that at least 370-400 people have safely sought refuge in Azerbaijan after crossing the Astara border checkpoint. Some 100 of those were Azerbaijani nationals with the rest being exp...

”The Astara Border Crossing between Iran and Azerbaijan has seen increased traffic over the last few days by foreign nations, as many continue to seek an exit from Tehran amid continued US and Israeli attacks.” www.euronews.com/2026/03/02/h...

Schwedens Migrationspolitik - ein Vorbild für Deutschland? CDU-Chef Friedrich Merz ist Fan von schwedischer Migrationspolitik. Immer weniger Menschen beantragen dort Asyl. Doch die Gründe sind vielfältig.

Brilliant piece!
I remember how he once spoke about Denmark and Sweden as role models for German migration policy, referring to Sweden as a country with ”highly complex external borders”.
(Not sure what borders he meant. Not the bridge to Denmark I hope.) www.ndr.de/nachrichten/....

När det gäller möjliga flyktingströmmar inom och från Iran finns en bra analys från @mixedmigration.org från förra året. I stort sett håller den fortfarande, tror jag.
mixedmigration.org/articles/mix...

Och så blev det åter igen en felaktig beskrivning av vad EU:s beslut om säkra länder för asylsökande innebär.

När det gäller möjliga flyktingströmmar inom och från Iran finns en bra analys från @mixedmigration.org från förra året. I stort sett håller den fortfarande, tror jag.
mixedmigration.org/articles/mix...

Instrumentalisation of migration: Europe needs a strong and lawful response Several EU Member States refer to alleged attempts at instrumentalisation by Russia and Belarus to undermine refugee protection at the eastern external borders - even though the number of asylum seeke...

I wrote a policy brief about this, and the need for a better, more lawful approach, last year, with @judithkohlenberger.bsky.social, @llaube.bsky.social, @dansaracino.bsky.social and @pzlotnik.bsky.social. www.delorscentre.eu/en/publicati...

The Migrants in the Ancient Forest Five years ago, Belarus began enabling people from high-conflict countries to migrate into Europe. Despite high walls and backlash, they’re still coming.

Great reporting by @newyorker.com about a violent border where people suffer, disappear and even die, and where international and European law is being broken on a daily basis.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Det handlar om:
1. Återkallande eller omvandling av permanenta uppehållstillstånd.
2. Återvandringsbidrag.
3. Att Sverige också begränsar arbetskraftsinvandringen.

Så sticker svensk migrationspolitik ut: ”Ovanligt” Nyheter från TV4: Så sticker svensk migrationspolitik ut: ”Ovanligt”

Hela Europa går mot en alltmer restriktiv hållning i migrationspolitiken. Men på några punkter skiljer sig svensk migrationspolitik från andra länders.
Fick prata om några av dessa punkter med TT. www.tv4.se/artikel/tt-2...

Deaths at Europe’s borders and seas ‘normalised’ and pushed out of sight, suggest reports The International Organization for Migration warns that growing restrictions on access to information about search-and-rescue operations along Europe’s sea routes are making it increasingly difficult ...

”People dying at sea or being violently expelled at borders in their effort to seek refuge in Europe has become both normalised and increasingly out of the public eye”. euobserver.com/204774/death...

Kanske är allt detta också relevant kontext för debatten om att riva upp permanenta uppehållstillstånd, uppmuntra återvandring och utvisa tonåriga.

Befolkningen växer trots fortsatt lågt barnafödande 2025 Vid slutet av 2025 var 10 605 500 personer folkbokförda i Sverige. Under året ökade befolkningen med 17 800 personer. Folkökningen förklaras både av att fler invandrade än utvandrade och att det födde...

”Under 2025 minskade folkmängden i 14 av 21 län och i 180 av landets 290 kommuner.” www.scb.se/hitta-statis...

”År 2025 invandrade 89 400 personer till Sverige”.
”År 2025 utvandrade 77 500 personer”.
➡️ Nettoinvandring 11 900 personer.

”Den summerade fruktsamheten 2025 är den lägsta som någonsin uppmätts i Sverige”.

Befolkningen växer trots fortsatt lågt barnafödande 2025 Vid slutet av 2025 var 10 605 500 personer folkbokförda i Sverige. Under året ökade befolkningen med 17 800 personer. Folkökningen förklaras både av att fler invandrade än utvandrade och att det födde...

”Sveriges befolkning ökade med 0,2 procent, vilket motsvarar 17 800 personer, under 2025. Det är den lägsta folkökningen som uppmätts under 2000-talet, både procentuellt och i absoluta tal.” www.scb.se/hitta-statis...

More than 600 people have died trying to cross Mediterranean in 2026, UN says Deadliest start to a year in more than a decade, according to the International Organization for Migration

Fewer refugees arrive at Europe’s borders in the Mediterranean.
But remember: 2026 is also the deadliest start to a year in more than a decade. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Sweden has not been very innovative in this area, and we argue that this should change.

Apart from the report, there is also a short policy brief here: www.delmi.se/Media/svffjb...

The text says: ”If designed and implemented with due consideration for the applicable international and EU standards, work-based and study-based legal pathways for migrants and complementary pathways for refugees could bring benefits to all parties involved: they could contribute to mitigating demographic decline and the ageing population in host countries, help to meet their labour needs, contribute to positive narratives about international migration and protection,and present refugees and migrants with safe and legal alternatives to risky,irregular travel. They can also benefit third countries that have a surplus of unemployed workers and support first countries of asylum with responsibility-sharing. This study has demonstrated that Sweden has a need for foreign workers and students as a consequence of demographic trends in the country and from widespread, and likely increasing, labour shortages. Since 2015, however, Sweden has been systematically limiting its legal migration channels in areas such as labour migration, family reunification and resettlement. This has been driven by an overall ambition to control and limit immigration to Sweden and combat the exploitation of foreign workers. Therefore, there has been little political appetite to discuss the design of new or expand existing pathways. Our study shows, however, that many stakeholders including employers, universities, civil society and migrant-led organisations have a strong interest in such pathways, driven by the need for additional workers and students, as well as wanting to support people in need of protection.”

We identify barriers in Sweden’s current migration system and present step-by-step guidelines on how new legal pathways for work and study purposes, including complementary pathways for people in need of protection, could be established.

Designing legal pathways into Sweden How could Sweden design and implement new safe and legal pathways?

This week, the Swedish Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi) published Zvezda Vankova’s and my study ”Designing legal pathways into Sweden: opportunities, challenges and added value”.
www.delmi.se/en/publicati...

A Draconian Return System

I’ve discussed it here: verfassungsblog.de/a-draconian-...

MEPs delay vote on deportation bill to March amid return hubs dispute "We aim to work from the political centre and build constructive, workable compromises," said the office of Malik Azmani, a Dutch liberal from the Renew Europe faction, who is leading talks on the bil...

Despite this turn, there is little hope that the coming EU regulation on returns will not weaken human rights standards. euobserver.com/203919/meps-...