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External reception centres and abolishment of asylum request at the border - the new strategy of the Danish Social Democracy contains a lot of fuel.
Image: Denmark's pride (Denmark #28 Tornby Strand) of Nelson L. licensed under CC BY 2.0
In one year, the Danish parliamentary elections will take place. While most Social Democratic parties in Europe are still searching for a strategy how to deal with the issue of migration, the party seems to have found the answer in a radical and restrictive immigration policy. A strategy paper entitled "Fair and realistic: an immigration policy that brings Denmark together" now clarifies in detail what the party envisions:
In a guest commentary for the FES "Back to its roots: Why do the Danish Social Democrats want a more restrictive immigration policy?", Peter Nedergaard, Professor of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen, analyses the new strategy of the Social Democrats in Denmark. His assessment shows, that the debate in Denmark runs quite differently compared to the European social democratic context.
In fact, the demands of the party are in many respects highly problematic and could violate international law and common agreements. Especially the planned asylum restrictions and reception centres in North Africa trigger criticism. In accordance with international agreements, reception centres for refugees outside Denmark must comply with international standards. These include the human rights minimum standard, for example the non-refoulement principle of the Geneva Refugee Convention. It states that no refugee may be sent back to a country where "his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion ". However, there is no African state, which neither has been declared as a safe third country, nor offers asylum procedures in line with the rule of law, and it is still very doubtful if this principle can be respected in the nearby future.
Insofar, the proposal of the Danish Social Democrats is remarkable. The party's immigration policy can be seen as a counter movement to the prevailing liberal, immigration-friendly discourse of many social-democratic parties in Europe. Whether this direction can win back the old electorate or instead surrenders social democratic values remains a Danish experiment.
Nedergaard, Peter
Why do the Danish social democrats want a more restrictive immigration policy? / Peter Nedergaard. - Budapest : Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Regional Project "Flight, MIgration, Integration in Europe", 2018. - 6 Seiten = 230 KB, PDF-File. - (Q&A: Trending issues on migration)Electronic ed.: Budapest : FES, 2018
Download (PDF) (230 KB, PDF-File)
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Mirko Herberg
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Blanka Balfer
+49 (0)30 26935-7493Blanka.Balfer(at)fes.de
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