This article investigates the different types of emotions that result from participation in refugee solidarity activism, investigating how they change over time and to what extent they explain why ...individuals remain involved in action in spite of unfavorable circumstances. By bringing together scholarship on collective action with the literature on emotions, the article delves into the emotional response of sustained engagement in refugee solidarity activism. The study is based on the analysis of 40 in‐depth interviews with solidarity activists and volunteers involved in grassroots refugee solidarity initiatives along the Western Balkans route between 2015 and 2021, as well as on participant observation conducted between 2016 and 2021 in North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The diachronic perspective presented in the article suggests that contrasting reactive emotions emerged during the initial stage of mobilization, while moral emotions were activated at a later stage. In the long run enduring affective bonds that had been formed with both solidarity peers and people on the move proved decisive for keeping individuals involved in action.
The smuggling of migrants is not a new phenomenon but in recent years it has attracted increasing international attention. In the last few years, migrant smuggling has become one of the most ...lucrative types of organized crime in the Balkans. This research article focuses on the issue of migrant smuggling as a contemporary transnational organized crime which is getting structurally stronger and more established. According to Frontex, the Western Balkans continues to be the most active migratory route into the European Union. From the beginning of the 2022 the number of irregular border crossings detected rose by 152% compared to 2021. The paper will present and analyse the official data of the judicial authorities. Also, a brief overview of the security implications of migrant smuggling to national security from 2015 until today will be given.
This article investigates the different types of emotions that result from participation in refugee solidarity activism, investigating how they change over time and to what extent they explain why ...individuals remain involved in action in spite of unfavorable circumstances. By bringing together scholarship on collective action with the literature on emotions, the article delves into the emotional response of sustained engagement in refugee solidarity activism. The study is based on the analysis of 40 in‐depth interviews with solidarity activists and volunteers involved in grassroots refugee solidarity initiatives along the Western Balkans route between 2015 and 2021, as well as on participant observation conducted between 2016 and 2021 in North Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The diachronic perspective presented in the article suggests that contrasting reactive emotions emerged during the initial stage of mobilization, while moral emotions were activated at a later stage. In the long run enduring affective bonds that had been formed with both solidarity peers and people on the move proved decisive for keeping individuals involved in action.
The countries of former Yugoslavia have a long history of dealing with refugees. However, what had been termed in the media and in public discourse as the '2015-2016 European migrant crisis' ...represented a phenomenon of unprecedented scale for the Western Balkan states. For the first time since the break-up of Yugoslavia, these countries found themselves handling a steep increase in arrivals of migrants who fled from the Middle East and Africa and crossed the Western Balkans migratory route in an attempt to reach Northern and Central Europe. To compensate for the lack of action on the part of their governments, from summer 2015 a number of individuals and domestic groups mobilized with the purpose of providing humanitarian assistance to migrants crossing their territory. Based on a series of in-depth interviews with key informants, this article explores the multiple solidarity initiatives organized at the local and transnational level along the Western Balkans route during the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, taking Serbia and Macedonia as case studies. Specifically, the study examines the extent to which emotional resources and discursive opportunities increased the prospects for altruistic mobilization in a context characterized by a low level of grassroots civic activism.
The article provides an overview of the number of illegal entries into the Member States of the European Union in the Mediterranean area. At the same time, separate reviews are presented for each of ...the three areas – the Eastern Mediterranean, the Central Mediterranean and the Western Mediterranean. The review period is limited by the last phase of the “migration crisis” of 2015/2016 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which also affected the number of illegal entries of third-country nationals into the EU. The paper presents exclusively statistical data relating to the external borders of Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria. These four countries are the most represented in terms of the number of illegal entries of migrants through the southern borders of the EU. Other countries on the southern borders of the EU - Portugal, France, Croatia, Malta and Cyprus - have an insignificant share in the number of illegal entries of migrants or do not record such entries at all via sea borders. By presenting the trends in the number of illegal entries into the EU by the third-country nationals over a longer period, an attempt is made to give an insight into the possible influences that lead to stagnation or the progression of the analysed numbers in relation to possible factors of influence. The sources of data are the statistics of international organisations in charge of dealing with migrants, primarily the IOM, where the numerical data are also given in graphical representations in order to better present the statistical data. Special emphasis is placed on the East-Mediterranean route, which has a direct impact on the state of illegal migration to the so-called Western Balkan route and the Republic of Croatia. The analysed data show that after the end of the “migration crisis” in 2015, when the majority of illegal entries were recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean, already in 2016 the eastern and central routes in the Medi-terranean were equal in terms of the number of illegal entries, despite the fact that a large number of illegal entries of migrants via the East-Mediterranean route covered the entire first quarter of 2016. Already in 2017, the central part of the Mediterranean once again took the lead in the number of illegal entries of migrants through the southern borders of the EU. Spain and Greece were almost equal in number of illegal entries that year, with Greece representing a large decrease compared to 2016, while for Spain 2017 recorded an increase in illegal entries compared to the previous year. During 2018 and 2019, a new drastic change is taking place: the number of illegal entries significantly decreased in Italy, while the number in Greece, and even in Spain in one period, grew quite significantly. However, this decrease in the number of illegal entries via Italy had such a share in the total number of illegal entries that overall there was reason for optimism regarding the development of the situation of illegal migration in the Mediterranean. Finally, 2020 and 2021 were marked by the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic affecting migratory routes in the eastern, central and western Mediterranean completely differently. While the number of illegal entries in Greece dropped dramatically in both mentioned pandemic years, the number of illegal entries in the central and western Mediterranean raised significantly. Moreover, the number of illegal entries increased in these pandemic years even in Bulgaria, which borders Greece and forms part of the East-Mediterranean illegal migration route. By analysing the state of illegal migration in the Mediterranean area, and especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, the article tries to gain insight into the factors that influence the state of illegal migration in this part of the EU’s external borders. An overview of illegal migration trends in the Mediterranean in the period from 2016 to 2021 serves as a basis for reconsidering how the activities of the border authorities have influenced these trends and whether these activities have a significant impact on illegal migration and to what extent. Therefore, trends in illegal migration are presented as a phenomenon that is subject to change under the influence of various factors. The terms “push” and “pull factors” are used in paper to a lesser extent as scientific terms, and more as a framework in which the aforementioned variables are placed, with the help of which the bodies in charge of monitoring the external borders of the EU try to predict the mindsets of the migrants when making a decision on choosing a migration route. From analysed examples, it can be seen that a decline in the interest of migrants from Asia and Africa to enter the territory of the Union cannot be expected. The intensity of these movements is constantly changing, depending on the push factors, but it is difficult to foresee a change in the trend especially due to unexpected effects of the deterioration of the overall political, economic, humanitarian and climate picture in the world.
Irregular migration on the Western Balkan route has marked an unprecedented number during the last five years. Evidence indicates that both, non-European nationals and Western Balkan citizens have ...been involved in this complex migratory flow being exposed to various risks of human trafficking. But Western Balkan countries are the source, transit, and destination countries of human trafficking while their states are not well organized to implement a comprehensive and well-coordinated regional response to combat it. This paper aims at examining challenges faced by the Western Balkan countries to converge anti-trafficking responses while facing increased irregular migratory waves. Using secondary data it illustrates various disparities and differences among them concluding that a well-coordinated, multi-faceted, and integrated regional response is needed to combat this humanitarian problem.
Irregular migration on the Western Balkan route has marked an unprecedented number during the last five years. Evidence indicates that both, non-European nationals and Western Balkan citizens have ...been involved in this complex migratory flow being exposed to various risks of human trafficking. But Western Balkan countries are the source, transit, and destination countries of human trafficking while their states are not well organized to implement a comprehensive and well-coordinated regional response to combat it. This paper aims at examining challenges faced by the Western Balkan countries to converge anti-trafficking responses while facing increased irregular migratory waves. Using secondary data it illustrates various disparities and differences among them concluding that a well-coordinated, multi-faceted, and integrated regional response is needed to combat this humanitarian problem.
Irregular migration on the Western Balkan route has marked an unprecedented number during the last five years. Evidence indicates that both, non-European nationals and Western Balkan citizens have ...been involved in this complex migratory flow being exposed to various risks of human trafficking. But Western Balkan countries are source, transit and destination countries of human trafficking while their states are not well organized to implement a comprehensive and well-coordinated regional response to combat it. This paper aims at examining challenges faced by the Western Balkan countries to converge anti-trafficking response while facing increased irregular migratory waves. Using secondary data it illustrates various disparities and differences among them concluding that a well-coordinated, multi-faceted and integrated regional response is needed to combat this humanitarian problem.
This research article aims to provide answers on how COVID-19 pandemics influenced migration law, policy responses, and practices in Croatia, particularly concerning migrants on the Western Balkan ...route. Throughout the EU, governments have reinstituted border controls in the Schengen region and any “nonessential travel” to the EU has been suspended. In this study, it is analyzed whether asylum seekers have been denied entry in violation of international refugee law and whether immigration officers held detainees because of the risks posed by COVID-19 alongside Croatian borders. In addition, the study addresses the question whether and to what degree the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the overall approach toward migrants and their access to services, primarily the right to health care. Also, it is researched whether facilities for migrants and asylum seekers have appropriate health care and whether the measures imposed by the Croatian Institute of Public Health and by the National Emergency Response Team are respected when dealing with migrants. In addition, it is researched whether the EU, UN, and WHO policies and recommendation concerning COVID-19 and migrants, where applicable, are respected in the Republic of Croatia and whether specific policies concerning migrants and COVID-19 were introduced. All legislation, policy responses, and practices will be critically approached and examined. The text will make proposals for implementation of best practices and policy responses for migrants in the context of COVID-19. All statistical data that are necessary for this research are requested from the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia.
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