Embracing a piecemeal approach in intergovernmental negotiation: the case of Med-5 and the new European Asylum Support Office

Accepting half a loaf in international negotiations is always difficult. This has been especially notable in European debates over refugee policy, in which different countries have divergent interests and a mutually agreeable consensus is hard to form. However, recent developments suggest a thaw, Gil Thompson argues, with Mediterranean countries taking a pragmatic approach that could allow for real progress.

Post-Crisis Democracy in Europe blog, 27 July 2021

The pragmatic approach Mediterranean countries are taking in asylum policy is an example of how a piecemeal approach can be successful in European integration. Illustration: Ben Borg Cardona

Published Aug. 16, 2021 4:16 PM - Last modified Sep. 23, 2021 10:56 AM