Refugees and Migration Policies of ASEAN and the EU

Abstract

Over the past decades, the EU and ASEAN have shown a similar tendency for restrictive migration policies, albeit with regional variations, aiming to limit the number of migrant arrivals. During the COVID-19 pandemic member states of both regions did not hesitate to close the borders and implement some of the strictest immigration regimes, further complicating the movement of migrants and refugees alike. However, new developments after the pandemic highlight certain differences in ASEAN’s and EU’s approaches to refugees. An unexpected influx of Ukrainians fleeing the conflict has demonstrated that the EU is willing to accommodate a large number of refugees from the neighbouring countries when it fits its political agenda and when the refugees’ culture is deemed “European”. This is at odds with ASEAN’s approach where member states have been reluctant to shelter culturally close refugees from the neighbouring states. As the poverty amplified by the pandemic and related conflicts may lead to even more people migrating or taking refuge in ASEAN or EU countries, this chapter will take a comparative look at the migration policy tendencies in these two regions.