Suchergebnisse

This article explores whether the development of a common European asylum policy, & the construction of a directive on minimum standards for the granting of refugee status, is dominated by a security discourse. In such a security discourse, asylum is considered a cross-border threat to the realization of the internal market & the internal stability of Member States. While the social construction of asylum as a problem puts pressure on the traditional humanitarian framework on which international refugee protection is being based. The tension between these two approaches seems to result in a restrictive European common asylum policy, with a focus on control & prevention of migration into the EU. In this article, we analyse the tensions between the security & the humanitarian discourse in primary & secondary sources, using the model of Laclau & Mouffe. We conclude that while creating a common asylum policy, a securitization process is present. Tables. Adapted from the source document.

Poverty in Antwerp, Belgium, is discussed from a historical perspective, noting that the worst misery began to disappear in the latter 19th century, & indigence virtually disappeared after the establishment of social care agencies after WWI. After WWII, the ongoing need for relief agencies was quickly recognized; the Openbaar Centrum voor Maatschappelijk Welzijn ([OCMW] Public Center for Social Welfare), established in 1976, is currently one of the main social relief agencies in Flanders. Here, quantitative data concerning its clients are provided, noting that, since 1994/95, relative & absolute records for the number of people in need of financial & medical aid have been broken. This crisis is related to the increasing number of single-parent families, political refugees, drug addicts, & elderly in the inner city. The need for preventive policies is addressed, asserting that only integrated development projects can improve matters for all risk groups. 6 Tables. Adapted from the source document.