Starting by comparing the Dublin Regulation and the Temporary Protection mechanism, which were activated for the very first time with the refugee influx from Ukraine, it was interesting to learn that the temporary protection mechanism includes a lot of principles that oppose the Dublin Regulation. For instance, a free choice model rather than the coercive model of Dublin. The temporary protection mechanism also proposes the principle of solidarity and, it is thought provoking to note, it uses expat communities as a resource for helping in the reception system. This is totally absent in the Dublin model.
The Dublin Regulation does not even allow applicants to reunite with their expat communities. And yet, although the Temporary Protection mechanism might give us hope for future improvements of the EU refugee policy, there are many unanswered questions.
These include:
- the sponsored return mechanism of Dublin,
- the balance of the solidarity mechanism between member states, and
- the quotas that are envisioned in the Dublin Regulation.
This creates scepticism that certain refugees are subject to exceptionalism. As Prof. Francesco Maiani, a consultant for Dublin Regulation in the EU Parliament, said: “The situation is exceptional in terms of political discourse. It is premature to say, everything will change.”