Abstract
Purpose: Recent UNHCR figures show that a record 70.8 million refugees are forcibly displaced. Millions of refugees are trapped in protracted refugee situations, and have been so on average for 25 years; this compares with 17 years in 2003, and nine in 1991. The research addresses whether the existing international refugee law regime is capable of addressing this crisis, or whether the issue is that member states do not comply with the refugee regime
 Results: This research highlights the failure of European Union to respond to the refugee problems. The figures show that there are more refugees trapped in protracted situations than before and also that their plight takes longer to be resolved. Therefore, from the perspective of persons born in danger zones, one is more likely to be a refugee in 2019 than in 2014, yet less likely to find a durable solution.
 Methodology: The study adopted a doctrinal methodology by exploring legislation and directives to identify whether these laws can address refugee issues.
 Novelty/originality of this study: Forced migration has received negative media coverage and politicians, especially right-wing parties, have used migrants as a scapegoat. This paper identifies some of the myths of migration to demonstrate that, if given the opportunity, migrants can contribute positively to economic growth and integrate with local communities
Highlights
The emerging displacement of persons in many countries, including Middle Eastern countries, has brought the plight of forced migrants once again to the forefront (World Bank Group, 2017, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 2015)
The growing number of refugees has led to the unprecedented and ongoing political crisis which has arisen from the failure of European Union (EU) Member States to reach an agreement on the distribution of asylum seekers (Mudde, 2018)
The provisions of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) reinforce those of the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951, in particular, the principle of non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face a serious threat to their life because of their political opinions
Summary
The emerging displacement of persons in many countries, including Middle Eastern countries, has brought the plight of forced migrants once again to the forefront (World Bank Group, 2017, UNHCR, 2015). The provisions of the CEAS reinforce those of the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 (the Refugee Convention), in particular, the principle of non-refoulement, which asserts that a refugee should not be returned to a country where they face a serious threat to their life because of their political opinions Today, it is generally agreed within the literature that, due to developments in international human rights law in the twentieth century, protection under this right is absolute (Convention against Torture, 1987, Art. 3) The principle of non-refoulement is regarded as a cardinal principle of modern refugee law (ExCom Conclusion No. (XLII), 1991, para. One of the reasons that Member States have adopted such a rigid position, commentators argue, is due to the Dublin Regulation (No 604/2013) This system places huge pressure on countries of first entry, like Greece and Italy, because they become responsible for handling asylum applications. Many countries have even closed borders on migrants completely, and today thousands of migrants are living in makeshift tents at the Serbian-Hungarian border
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