Protection in Europe for refugees from Syria

This report considers the response of European countries to the refugee crisis in the Syrian region. We provide an overview of the European reaction generally, brief summaries of the responses of selected countries (Germany, Sweden, Norway, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy), and a more in-depth case study of the UK. Whilst we applaud both the humanitarian efforts to assist refugees and the resettlement that is ongoing, we believe that the primary aim of the European response – to contain the crisis in the countries neighbouring Syria and to reinforce Europe's borders – is unsustainable. We recommend that European countries implement a Comprehensive Plan of Action for refugees in the countries neighbouring Syria, comprising three main components: activation of a regional temporary protection regime, expanded resettlement, and the development of other legal routes of entry into European countries. This publication was supervised by Professor Dawn Chatty.