European Union common migration and refugees policy: The example of Syrian internal war

Migration is as old as human history. Throughout history, humanity has moved from one place to another and has carried out migration. Although the reasons causing this action vary, the main reasons that do not change from past to present are wars, internal conflicts and climatic conditions. In time, as the size of the conflicts grows, the number of people migrating also increases. The European continent has a long history of migration. However, the EU has first encountered the issue of migration as a foreign worker. In the face of the collapse of the Soviets and thousands of people who have moved to the European continent, the EU's agenda has changed from foreign workers to refugees and asylum seekers. At this point, the EU, which has sought a common policy, tried to bring this policy to life through various summits. As a result of the civil wars that emerged after the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa, the number of refugees in the world has reached the highest level since the second world war. Especially after Syrian civil war millions of people have become refugees. At the beginning of the crisis, EU member states acted within the framework of a common policy under the EU. The EU has closed its eyes for a long time, especially as refugees have sought refuge in neighboring countries. However, since 2015, thousands of asylum-seekers have relied on the European door, and the EU has not been more indifferent to this problem. This situation and the waves of immigration have deeply affected EU politics. The aim of this study is to read the common refugee / immigration policy that was created after the Cold War by EU on the Syrian refugees after the Arab Spring. The cracking sounds that occurred in the EU with the Syrian refugee crisis and the partnership and values policy taken by the EU at the table could not be applied in the field. The policies implemented show that the EU's aim is to set a precedent for refugees coming to Europe.