EU migration policy: from a common policy to a conflict of interests

At the end of the 20th century much increased levels of migration and their influence on many European Union (EU) member states created the need to devise a common EU migration policy. Paradoxically, the main impediment to reaching this goal became the national state itself. This article aims to discuss the needs and tendencies of EU migration policy. After a review of the dominant theoretical approaches and a highlighting of their principal elements, a model of theoretical analysis is presented for the purpose of explaining the policy’s formation. The model identifies the most important factors and their influence on the development of EU migration policy. The direction in which the latter is headed is observed by paying close attention to the tension between the EU (and the institutions defending its common purpose) and a state that defends its national interests. At the same time an answer is attempted to the question of why looking for the denominator of a common EU policy is such an exceedingly difficult taskPolitikos mokslų ir diplomatijos fakult.Vytauto Didžiojo universiteta