EU-NGO Partnership on European Border Control: Policy Network Approach

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K13690
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: International relations
• Research Institution: Akita International University
• Principal Investigator: Horii Satoko 国際教養大学, 国際教養学部, 助教 (30725859)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: European Union / Mediterranean / NGO / Search and Rescue / Partnership / Refugee / Migration / Border Control

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this research was to explore relationships between NGOs and the EU and its Member States over search and rescue (SAR) operations at the Mediterranean. The literature has pointed out the growing criminalisation of SAR NGOs, but systematic analysis remain missing except few important works. Based on four patterns of organisational relations (cooperation, complementarity, co-optation, confrontation) developed by scholars in International Relations and EU studies, this research traced the evolving changes of their interactions during 2013-2020. Against the initial assumption, the NGO-state relations dynamically changed from cooperative to co-optive then confrontational. That implies that the institutionalisation of NGOs in European border governance, which was best applied in cooperation or possibly in co-optation, was not observed or expected. Moreover, the fact that NGOs having different views made it difficult to work together against the EU/MSs.

Free Research Field

EU政治、国際関係

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、NGOのEU国境ガバナンスへの制度化の可能性がいまだ低い現状を指摘するとともに、その関係性は静的ではなく、ダイナミックに変遷すること、NGOの中で、また政策執行主体の中でも異なることを指摘した。また「欧州難民危機」の状況を、NGOの視点および政府との相互作用から指摘し、それを国内外に発信した。一定の国境に大規模かつ非正規な形での人の流入が発生した場合に、政府とNGOがそれぞれどのような対応をし、その対応がどのようなアウトプットをもたらしうるのか示唆を与えるものであり、地域的特殊性を越えて世界の諸地域・諸国家が国境管理体制を再編する上で重要な視点を提供した。