External Borders Research Articles

METHODS OF MODERN PASSPORT DOCUMENT FORGERIES OF THE EU COUNTRIES AND THEIR DETECTION SIGNS

The development of modern social relations associated with the process of European integration of Ukraine has led to an increase in the number of travelers crossing the state border, including the EU’s external borders. For this reason there becomes urgent to study the problems concerning protection of travel documents against counterfeiting and the ways to detect them. A modern analysis of the forensic-expert provision of the State border service of Ukraine shows a consistent trend of increase in detections offorgery passports and other documents. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of studies regarding the counterfeiting methods and characteristics of detection in passport documents of countries - members of EU citizens and to identify the ways of increasing efficiency of realizing tasks in the field of forensic examination and expert researches ofpassports and other documents in the context of European integration of Ukraine. In this perspective, with the purpose to increase the efficiency of tasks realization in the field offorensic examination and expert researches of passports and other documents, according to the authors, it’s necessary: to guarantee the development of interagency and international cooperation; to realize effective and rapid mechanism for information exchange on detected forged passport documents with expert research institutions, law enforcement bodies of Ukraine. This will help to develop an effective system to counter existing and potential threats to national security of Ukraine in the context of liberalization of the EU visa regime for Ukraine. The study of counterfeiting methods and characteristics of their detection in the passport documents of countries - EU members citizens and citizens of Ukraine with the contactless electronic carrier of biometric data, as well as in the form ofID-cards may be considered as the prospects for further research.

Values and Power Conflicts in Framing Borders and Borderlands: The 2013 Reform of EU Schengen Governance

ABSTRACTIn recent years, the preservation of the Schengen as a borderland has generated heightened tensions between domestic and European actors. Drawing on a qualitative analysis, this article illustrates how EU institutional actors frame the EU's internal and external borders and how said frames have shaped the EU's Schengen governance. To do so, it scrutinizes the debates that took place from 2011 to 2016 on the reintroduction of internal border controls. The analysis allows us to observe the salience of four frames: the values frame, the conflict frame, the market frame, and the securitization frame. To explain the dynamics of these frames, the article draws on the theoretical arguments of the new intergovernmentalism. The analysis concludes that the framing of borders in European debates is conditioned by the institutional setting of the EU and reflects the spread of the new intergovernmentalism in this policy area.

Standardizing security: the business case politics of borders

This paper discusses the role of standards and standardization in the regulation of security and mobility through the EU’s Mandate M/487 and biometric Automated Border Control (ABC) systems. It argues that the choice for facial recognition as the standard biometric modality was largely pre-configured through the inertia of sedimented infrastructures, and that the restructuring of the EU external borders in the case of ABC therefore to a certain extent lacks political agency. Instead, standardization here follows an approach of business case politics that forecloses alternative solutions, and notably becomes productive of specific types of accelerated mobilities.

Homogenous and Extra-territorial Border Regime? Migrations and Control Efforts Across the Eastern EU External Border

ABSTRACTIn light of the high amount of refugees wishing to cross the EU’s external borders into the Union, the border regime is becoming more and more standardized and, to a great extent, involves the EU neighbor states. These are confronted with a double strategy with regard to their involvement in the EU’s migration policy. On the one hand, the EU tries to guarantee its own security by setting up a tough border regime. On the other hand, the EU strives for a closer connection with its neighbors by including them more and more into its migration regulations. By having a look at Ukraine and Moldova, the paper asks what this involvement in EU policies means for the mentioned countries and focuses on their perspectives. How does their participation in EU extra-territorial migration regulation look like? What does the extra-territorialized border regime mean for those actors wishing to cross the border? For this purpose, a concept of the EU’s eastern external border regime will be developed first, including its targeted homogeneity and its partly extra-territorial functioning. By discussing the results of an ethnographic border regime analysis, the paper will present the perspectives of specific actors in third states who implement EU migration regulations on a local level by carrying out concrete EU-driven projects. Furthermore, voices from refugees and inhabitants of the border regions in third states are taken into account.

The Emergence of Urban Border Spaces in Europe

ABSTRACTOver the past few decades, nation state borders throughout the world have been undergoing major transformations. These changes are perhaps particularly salient in the supranational space of the European Union, where new, diverse governance arrangements have emerged for the control of borders and migrations. This governance now involves national and supranational, state and non-state actors and territories beyond the external borders of the European states. At the same time, transformations are affecting the city and urban spaces where a plethora of new mechanisms of control are emerging. Cities are considered key sites for the inclusion of migrants, affording them substantial (urban) citizenship. Nevertheless, little attention is being paid to the role of cities in the exclusion and control of migrants. Through devolution from above, as well as through urban autonomy, both public and non-state actors in cities are increasingly engaged in matters such as migrants’ legal status, removal, and deportation. Thus, an account of the city in such control has to take issue with the notion that the urban scale is simply nested in, subordinate to, and bounded within the national state space. Rather, scales are constructed and produced, which includes the historically changing relationship of urban and national scales. Drawing on migration, border, and urban studies, this paper develops a theoretical approach that locates the city within contemporary border transformations, identifies several mechanisms of urban border control, and provides some empirical examples to illustrate these points. Against this backdrop, the paper suggests considering urban space as border space.

The Actual Paradigm of Freedom of Movement in the Context of EU Migrants Rights

The purpose of this paper is examination of the current dimensions of the freedom of movement of persons in the EU, which is a milestone in the construction of the European space. The refugee wave in the last decade, following the onset of the "Arab spring", has raised new questions about the rights and status of persons, who had left their countries because of military conflicts or civil wars and sought asylum in EU countries. Bulgaria has been unprepared to respond adequately to the protection of the EU's external border from illegal immigration and has rethought key issues such as securing national sovereignty, legal respect for refugee rights and financial provision of resource support for them by state institutions.

Regional cooperation within the Eastern Partnership

Development of regional cooperation is of utmost importance to the functioning of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). It is especially significant across the EU’s external borders and among the EU’s neighbors themselves, specially that are geographically close to each other. The idea behind the ENP and its Eastern dimension provides the partner countries with two options: first - an alternative to the EU’s membership through offering the countries comprehensive and deep economic and political cooperation, second - the membership perspective through engaging the partners in a long-run economic, social and political reforms. Therefore the aim of the EU’s commitment was to bring, on the one hand, economic and social benefits to the partner countries, and on the other, protect interests and maintain stabilization at the EU’s external frontiers. The current level of regional collaboration shows that the EU’s strategy relying on political dialogue and economic assistance has not been sufficient incentive to change the countries within the Eastern Partnership (EaP). However the progress cannot be excluded. Enhancing of regional cooperation might lead to increase social cohesion and stability which is then the crucial prerequisite for closer political association and economic integration with the EU. Therefore the aim of the paper is to present and analyze the problem of cooperation between the Eastern partners of ENP. Major question is whether the initiative has contributed to improve cooperation among the partners and if it has what tangible progress has it brought to the benefits of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and the EU itself?DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.11.18428

Politicization of the refugee crisis?: a content analysis of parliamentary debates in Italy, the UK, and the EU

This paper draws on the literature on party competition and issue ownership to assess whether political membership on the right-left dimension explains party stances on migration. While some scholars argue that on this issue a clear distinction between left and right exists, some more recent quantitative and fine-grained analyses show a more nuanced picture. According to them, a clear difference in narratives exists only when the salience of the issue is high, under pressure of the electoral success of a far-right party or about specific policy issues. This paper further investigates this aspect in the context of the 2015 refugee crisis. It looks at the positions held by the main centre-left, centre-right, Radical Right, and Populist Parties in the Italian, British, and European Parliaments. The content analysis shows that centre-left parties frame the refugee crisis mainly as a humanitarian emergency and held pro-European Union (EU) positions, while centre-right parties differ substantially between Italy and the United Kingdom. Both radical right and Populist Parties exploit the political-opportunity offered by the refugee crisis to foster their anti-establishment claims. Moreover, Radical Right Populist Parties stress the need to secure external borders and restore national sovereignty, against further integration. At the EU level, left- and right-wing groups (Socialist and Democrats Party, European Conservatives and Reformists Party, and European People’s Party) are cohesive, while the populist group (European Freedom and Direct Democracy Party) is not. This paper adds on the academic debate on the refugee crisis, showing how the immigration issue can impact on domestic and European party politics, challenging party identities and alliances.

Conditionality, migration control and bilateral disputes: The view from the Greek–Turkish borders in the Aegean

The article provides a conceptual framework for understanding the return of third country nationals from Greece and the European Union, as well as their readmission by Turkey, a critical issue of migration policy at the European external borders. Return and readmission could be conceptualized as integral to the EU conditionality, a key tool at the disposal of the European Union to encourage and ensure compliance with its norms. In this respect, incentives are offered to countries of origin or transit as reward for the enforcement of expulsion decisions and the regulation of migration issues. Return and readmission could also be understood in respect to cooperation between two sovereign states, wherein expected costs and benefits are constantly (re)evaluated on the basis of their recurrent bilateral interactions. Thus, migration issues between Greece and Turkey should be grasped as indivisible to relations between a member state and a prospective one; in this sense, they could be interpreted in relation to Turkey’s progress towards the adoption of the acquis communautaire, in the light however of the politically volatile border between the two countries.

Mobilność w czasach zamkniętych granic – notatki z badań terenowych w Serbii

In the course of the last two years, migration through the Balkan Peninsula has shaken public opinion and influenced the political scene in Europe. As the result of bilateral agreements and the European Union’s pressure on the Balkan states, the Balkan route has been closed for migrants from the Global South. This paper aims to present ethnographic material which unveils biographical narratives of people traversing Serbia after the closure of EU external borders in February 2016. Working on collected histories, I analyse the migrants’ survival strategies and deconstruct the image of a migrant as a passive aid-taker and a victim of human trafficking.

Thermal effects of natural convection in boreholes

Thermal regime in borehole is simulated by water-filled vertical channel passing through the rock massif. A constant temperature gradient is maintained at the external borders of the massif. Results of numerical simulation of natural thermal convection arising in the channel are presented. Analysis of the results shows the existence of two types of convective thermal effects disturbing the natural temperature field: transient effect, which manifests itself as temperature oscillations around the mean temperature value at a given depth, and quasi-stationary effect causing distortion of natural temperatures and temperature gradient. The obtained statistical relations for estimation of the characteristics of thermal effects and convection flow velocities agree with the data recorded in real boreholes.

The European Border and Coast Guard Rising: Recent Developments in the Light of EU Accountability Standards and Mechanisms

This contribution is concerned with conceptualizing accountability and establishing accountability for acts of Frontex. It discusses recent legislative changes relating to the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) and its Agency and critically assesses the concept of “shared responsibilities” according to Article 5 of the EBCG Regulation. On the assumption that obligations exist and responsibility can be established I will (a) elaborate on EU law standards of accountability (stemming from the EU rule of law or fundamental rights such as Articles 41 et seq., Article 47 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights) and (b) apply accountability standards and (non-judicial) mechanisms to EU external border control by the EBCG. In this context special regard will be given to Frontex’ fundamental rights complaints mechanism established in October 2016. My conclusion will cover the effectiveness of the new complaints mechanism and an evaluation of the overall accountability performance of Frontex.

Migration movements and their implications for Republic of Macedonia

Migrants and refugees coming from Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia have presented European leaders and policymakers with their greatest challenge since the Europe’s economic crisis. Mediterranean external borders of the European Union have been largely affected with tragic events and overwhelming management of huge migration flows, which in the last two to three years have changed their course through the territory of Western Balkan countries. In times when unfortunately, an establishment of a single unified system based on the principle of shared-burden and solidarity is still waiting for practical implementation and execution, a part of the shared-burden and responsibility for managing migration flows have been transferred to the transit countries along the so-called “Balkan route”. The Republic of Macedonia and its role within the Balkan route has been seen crucial and frequently disputed. Understanding the position of this country, requires an overview of few aspects which need to be taken into account. In order to assist this endeavor, this article will attempt to presents the Macedonia experiences with migration movements.

Fixed Lines, Permanent Transitions. International Borders, Cross-Border Communities and the Transforming Experience of Otherness

ABSTRACTBeyond their most physical manifestations as fences, gates and border guards, international borders are social constructs experienced by individuals as they traverse them. Anchored on the ground as relatively fixed lines, international borders transform through time as the crossing is alternatively allowed or hindered depending on changing relations between countries. This is especially true given the social, cultural, and economic structures generated on either side of the border. In this article, we draw on three studies conducted since 2008: Melilla and Morocco, Lampedusa and Tunisia, Gibraltar and Spain. Looking at the recent history of local cross-border relations, this work analyzes how the tightening of previously porous borders altered existing sociocultural, economic and political relations on both sides of the frontier. As Lampedusa and Melilla became points on Europe’s external border, the almost osmotic cross-border relations previously experienced by locals diminished significantly: profound changes challenged their perception of identity and otherness. Similarly, throughout the 20th century, the Gibraltar/Spain border operated both as a bridge across related communities, and as an almost insurmountable barrier when it was closed (1969–1982). This work explores the many ways in which borders transform local linguistic, cultural and economic constellations of neighboring “Others.”

Human Brucellosis - New Public Health Problem in Bulgaria

The aim of this study was to describe trends over time of human brucellosis (HB) based on national surveillance data from 1992 to 2016 in Bulgaria and to assess the factors of its re-emergence after 50 years elimination. Retrospective analytical study was applied and performed descriptive, spatial and time series analyses using national aggregated data for HB incidence from National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD)-Sofia. During the 25-year period, 190 confirmed cases were reported, resulting in annual incidence of 0.10 cases per 100,000 populations. Dynamic model of the epidemic process and risk factor were analyzed. The fitted Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model of HB incidence also was selected. There were differentiated two cycles of infection spreading out lasting 12-13 years with two epidemic waves (1996 and 2002). Greater incidence of HB was recorded during the peaks of epidemic waves in the second epidemic cycle – 0.52-0.76/100,000 population. Re-emergence of brucellosis in Bulgaria started from areas bordering endemic countries and gradually extended inland. The geographic location of Bulgaria as external border of European Union (EU) and transit crossroad among Asia, Africa and Europe increases the risk of HB re-emergence to the country. Involvement of all responsible institutions for public healthcare is required.

European border policing: EUROSUR, knowledge, calculation

ABSTRACTThe article asks how we can make sense of the central role attributed to technology in border policing today and relates discussions of ‘techno-’ or ‘technology-driven’ (border) policing to the issue of knowledge. It examines EUROSUR, a set of measures for placing the external borders of the European Union under, ‘real-time’ surveillance. It argues that current understandings of knowledge in the border policing literature require conceptual specification to make otherwise unnoticed aspects of border policing amenable to empirical inquiry. To this end, the article foregrounds the notion of centres of calculation as a way to refine inquiries into policing as ‘knowledge work’. It examines knowledge arrangements related to European border policing, showing how the understanding that border policing is concerned with and operates through flows is contingently and progressively built through processes of stabilisation, mobilisation and extension of social and material networks of actors, institutions and devices.

Controlling irregular immigration at the European Union’s southern maritime border. An emerging system driven by “migration emergencies"

Over the last 25 years the southern maritime border of the European Union witnessed the interaction of considerable and increasingly complex irregular migration flows in the Mediterranean with the progressive construction and implementation of restrictive migration control policies by the European Union and its member states at their external borders. The article describes the evolving migration patterns and changes in migration routes both as a stimulus and a consequence of locally stepping up migration control at the emerging hotspots at different parts of the border, creating deviation effects in migration routes with alternative points of entry and higher costs and risks for migrants. Special attention is given to the impact of the 2015 refugee crisis on border management and the new challenges it poses to the asylum system and the protection of fundamental rights.

Vision and Transterritory

This essay is about the role of visual surveillance technologies in the policing of the external borders of the European Union (EU). Based on an analysis of documents published by EU institutions and independent organizations, I argue that these technological innovations fundamentally alter the nature of national borders. I discuss how new technologies of vision are deployed to transcend the physical limits of territories. In the last twenty years, EU member states and institutions have increasingly relied on various forms of remote tracking, including the use of drones for the purposes of monitoring frontier zones. In combination with other facets of the EU border management regime (such as transnational databases and biometrics), these technologies coalesce into a system of governance that has enabled intervention into neighboring territories and territorial waters of other states to track and target migrants for interception in the “prefrontier.” For jurisdictional reasons, this practice effectively precludes the enforcement of legal human rights obligations, which European states might otherwise have with regard to these persons. This article argues that this technologically mediated expansion of vision has become a key feature of post–cold war governance of borders in Europe. The concept of transterritory is proposed to capture its effects.

Bordering the “other”: the case of the Finnish-Russian border

This short reflection on the keynote speech given by Henk van Houtum at the Annual Meeting of Finnish Geographers enhances discussion on bordering and border construction, both within the European Union (EU) and via the external border of the EU in the northeast, specifically the Finnish-Russian border. And it focuses attention upon the problem of Eurocentric geographies, and a dominant Western perspective of the rest of the world.

GLOSSARY TO THE JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF JUSTISE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION C-638/16 X AND X V ÉTAT BELGE

The subject of the glossary is to consider certain aspects concerning issuing of humanitarian visas . Its aim is to demonstrate the need for humanitarian visas in order to allow individuals to cross the external borders of the European Union in hopes of protection in one of its Member States . The prohibition of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment derives from the European Union and inter-national law . It confirms the importance of granting international protection to foreigners and accessibility to this procedure . This article is generally based on the Advocate General’s opinion and the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in case C-638/16 X and X v État belge . It is also noted that the Court did not comply with the recommendations of the Advocate General . The arguments used in this article are to show that people in need of international protection should be able to apply for a humanitarian visa under European Union and international law