Research Papers

In recent years Greece has come under severe criticism for the deficiencies asylum system and practices. While such problems can be at least partly attributed to domestic factors such as the weaknesses of public administration, the asylum policies of the European Union, and especially the Dublin II regulation, have also contributed to Greece’s ‘humanitarian crisis’. This paper explores how Greek MPs of different political parties evaluate the impact of European Union asylum policies on Greece, to what extent they support or oppose them, and what alternatives they propose. Drawing on parliamentary texts and employing Critical Discourse Analysis as a method, the paper focuses on arguments related to four topics: the incorporation of EU asylum directives; the effects of the Dublin II regulation; burden sharing in general; and border control and the role of FRONTEX. It is argued that there is considerable divergence of views among political parties on the desirability and effectiveness of common asylum policies and the level of trust expressed towards other member states, with strong concerns over the loss of national sovereignty are expressed by parties at both ends of the political spectrum. The paper locates the MPs’ arguments in the context of party positions on the European Union and European integration, as well as to broader debates regarding the Europeanisation of asylum policies and its impact on member states.