Abstract

The crisis that the European Union is currently facing is largely caused by migration. On the one hand, the EU competence in this area remains shared with Member States and does not include key powers on employment and welfare policies; on the other hand, governments have hindered the development of a true European policy, in particular as far as economic migrants are concerned. Also in the field of asylum, governments have pursued short-term objectives and the failed Dublin System has revealed sharp divisions among national governments, with the Commission not being able to play the positive role played at other times and with respect to other policy areas. The paper examines the root causes of this crisis and stresses the negative influence of national governments, in particular in shaping the external dimension of the EU policies in this field mainly focused on stemming the flows of migrants and asylum seekers.