PEOPLE ON THE MOVE: (STILL) STUCK IN THE CORRIDORS TO THE EU

The war in Ukraine suddenly brought the issue of forced migration back to the top of the agenda of political and public discourse in Europe. Before this dramatic escalation the numbers of those, who reached the EU in search for protection were relatively low, even though more and more people were displaced globally, especially with the latest developments in Afghanistan.

The number of asylum seekers in the European Union remained low, because many are stuck in the corridors to the EU. Border control policies, that structurally break international and EU law and even puts people’s lives in danger and cooperation with third states, such as Turkey, turned the EU’s external borders into dead ends for Thousands. This conference aims to shed a light on these people’s current situation and their potential perspectives.

HBS offices Sarajevo and Thessaloniki will bring together experts, grassroots activists, academia, practitioner and policy-maker from the region, the so called Balkan route as well as from the EU level, to have an in-depth look at the current status-quo of migration policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Balkans and the EU, taking the latest developments in Ukraine into consideration. A newly compiled paper on Bosnia and Herzegovina will be presented and discussed.

Over two days we will cover different aspects and challenges such as:

• shrinking space/criminalization of people on the move and those showing solidarity with them,
• media coverage of migration, mainstream narratives and hate speech,
• "border management", the securitization of borders,
• pushbacks and deportations,
• asylum politics and alternative perspectives to stay.

The event will take place via Zoom. Preregistration is required.

Agenda

DAY 1 - Local and Regional Challenges in the Balkans

9:00 - Welcoming remarks

9:30 - 11:30 - HORIZONS: Overview  on the situation in BiH and the wider region

• Gorana Mlinarević, expert/activist, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Nidžara Ahmetašević, expert/activist, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Radoš Đurović, director of APC, Serbia
• Mersiha Smajlović, Legis, North Macedonia

Moderators: Judith Brand and Neda Noraie-Kia

---30 min break

12:00 - 14:00 - “SHRINKING SPACES”

• Eleni Velivasaki, RSA, Greece
• Marta Stojić, expert, Serbia
• Karolina Augustova, researcher and activist
• Tajana Tadić, Are You Syrious (AYS), Croatia/Germany

Moderator: Nidžara Ahmetašević

---Lunch break - 90 min

15:30 - 17:00 - MEDIA and MIGRATION along the Balkan route

• Stavros Malichudis, We are Solomon, Greece
• Idriss Moussaoui, activist, France
• Ammar Kılıç, activist, Turkey
• Elvira Jukić-Mujkić, editor at Media Centar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Moderator: Gorana Mlinarević

end of day 1

19:00 - 21:00 - NETWORKING: Movies and discussions @ Meeting Point Cinema, Sarajevo

DAY 2 - The Balkans, the European Union and Beyond

9:00 - 11:00 - Human Rights at the EU’s external borders

• Ombudswoman, Croatia (tbc)
• Erik Marquart, MEP, Germany
• IOM BiH representative, (tbc)
• Hanaa Hakiki, Senior Legal Advisor at European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, Germany

Moderator: Giorgos Christides

---30 min break

11:30 - 13:30 - EU policies in response to the war in Ukraine

• Giulia Amaducci, European Commission, DG Home
• Prof. Monika Mokre, Austria
• Aigul Hakimova, Slovenia
• Magda Faltova, director of Association for Integration and Migration (SIMI), Czech Republic

Moderator: Neda Noraie-Kia

---Lunch break - 90 min

15:00 - 17:00 - Perspective to stay - ways forward

• Radoš Đurović, APC, Serbia
• Emir Prcanović, Vaša Prava, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Antonia Pindulić, Center for peace studies, Croatia
• Andrea Kontenta, Italy

Moderator: Karolina Augustova

end