The significance of the European Union solidarity mechanism for mitigation of migration crises

The European Union is an organization whose foundations could be found in the concept of solidarity. Solidarity and shared responsibility are interconnected themes in numerous treaties within the European Union. Even though solidarity was a core to European Union existence, over time this principle faded among the Member States. The migration crisis, reaching its peak in 2015, underscored a significant issue that had been previously disregarded by Members who prioritized economic factors, namely the crisis of solidarity. The intense situation on the border with an influx of migrants growing everyday required a holistic approach from all the Members. Unfortunately, countries on the border of the EU had to face the burden of processing asylum applications predominantly alone, providing worse care to both migrants and refugees. To mitigate the situation countries were asked to provide voluntary assistance to overburdened states. As a result, only few countries got involved in the situation. Therefore, the mandatory solidarity or mandatory relocation was put under the question. The idea sparked controversy and outrage among certain Member States and ultimately did not come to fruition. Thus, the problem grew and the solution was nowhere to be found. Only in 2020, the Commission proposed a New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Among various amendments and regulations to already existing systems, the New Solidarity Mechanism was one of the most significant aspects of the Pact. Proposed Pact connected the mandatory and voluntary elements of assistance. It was clear that to mitigate the crisis effectively, all countries must participate, which is the essence of the entire Pact. Countries are required to provide assistance, with the flexibility to choose from financial contributions, personnel deployment, relocation efforts, or other available measures. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum faced a lot of criticism such as: the sovereignty issue or non-humanitarian approach to the migrants due to putting the ‘price tag’ on the individuals. The New Pact adopted by the Council of EU on 14 of May 2024 is a step towards restoring solidarity among Member States to prevent future crises.