Kan EU:s flyktingpolitik rättfärdigas? En normativ utvärderingsanalys av Schengenavtalet och Dublinförordningen

The number of refugees across the world is increasing and consequently also the preassure at the external borders of the EU. The purpose of this essay is to evaluate the actual refugee policy of the European Union in relation to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is ratified by all member states, as well as the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. Human rights organisations as well as some political parties in Europe has widely criticized the refugee policy of the European Union in general and the Schengen Agreement in particular. These are said to hinder people in need of protection from persecution to be able to seek protection in memberstates of the union. All this while the European Union is making efforts to further secure its external borders. This made me interested in researching to find out if the refugee policy of the European Union can be considered to be righteous or not. I have chosen to take a closer look at the foundational values of the European Union when it comes to human rights, as well as different perspectives of the concept of these rights. I have used these to evaluate the refugee policy of the European Union. By doing so I have been able to answer the question ”Can the refugee policy of the European Union be justified?” according to the union's own values. I find that it can be justified from a minimalistic perspective on the application of human rights, but not with a broader application