Assessment of the European Union's Normative Power
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ASSESSMENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION’S NORMATIVE POWER WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF ITS MIGRATION POLICY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY CEREN ZENGİN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN STUDIES SEPTEMBER 2017 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Doç. Dr. Özgehan Şenyuva Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Yrd. Doç. Dr. Zerrin Torun Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sıtkı Bilgin (AYBÜ, IR) Yrd. Doç. Dr. Zerrin Torun (METU, IR) Doç. Dr. Sevilay Kahraman (METU, IR) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last name : Ceren Zengin Signature : iii ABSTRACT ASSESSMENT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION’S NORMATIVE POWER WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF ITS MIGRATION POLICY Zengin, Ceren M.S. Department of European Studies Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Zerrin Torun September 2017, 171 pages This thesis tries to assess the normative power of the European Union within the context of its migration policy. In line with this objective, the thesis first examines the concept of normative power Europe, the possible criteria to assess the credibility of the normative power Europe claim and the major criticisms raised against the concept. Then, the thesis continues with the discussions on the motivations of the EU member states in developing common migration policy at the EU level, the securitization of migration in the EU, and the externalization of the EU’s migration policies. The major concern of this thesis is to examine whether the EU can be regarded as a normative power or not given its security-oriented external migration policy. By examining readmission and border management policies of the EU, the thesis tries to analyse the motivations, instruments and the impact of the EU’s external migration policy. The analysis shows that securitization and the externalization strategy of the EU stand in stark contrast to normative power Europe claim in several respects. Control-oriented and restrictive migration policies and the way the EU externalizes its migration policies undermine the founding norms and principles of the EU. The thesis arrives at iv the conclusion that the EU, with its current immigration and asylum policies, is not a normative power, but a realpolitik or status quo power at best. Keywords: Normative power, the European Union, migration policy, Securitization, Externalization. v ÖZ AVRUPA BİRLİĞİ’NİN NORMATİF GÜCÜNÜN GÖÇ POLİTİKASI BAĞLAMINDA DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ Zengin, Ceren Master, Avrupa Çalışmaları Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Yrd. Doç. Dr. Zerrin Torun Eylül 2017, 171 sayfa Bu tez, Avrupa Birliği'nin normatif gücünü göç politikası bağlamında değerlendirmeye çalışmaktadır. Bu hedef doğrultusunda, tez ilk olarak normatif güç Avrupa kavramını, normatif güç Avrupa iddiasının güvenilirliğini değerlendirebilmek için olası kriterleri ve bu kavrama yöneltilen eleştirileri incelemektedir. Tez, daha sonra, AB ülkelerinin AB düzeyinde bir göç politikası geliştirmelerindeki temel motivasyonlar, göçün AB’de güvenlikleştirilmesi ve AB göç politikalarının dışsallaştırılması üzerine tartışmalarla devam etmiştir. Bu tezin temel kaygısı, güvenlik odaklı dış göç politikası göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, AB’nin normatif bir güç olarak kabul edilip edilemeyeceği konusunda bir inceleme yapmaktır. Tez, AB'nin geri kabul ve sınır yönetimi politikalarını inceleyerek, AB'nin dış göç politikasının motivasyonlarını, araçlarını ve etkisini analiz etmeye çalışmaktadır. Bu analiz, AB’nin güvenlikleştirme ve dışsallaştırma stratejisinin birçok açıdan normatif güç Avrupa iddiasına tam bir tezat teşkil ettiğini göstermiştir. Kontrol odaklı ve kısıtlayıcı göç politikaları ve AB’nin göç politikalarını dışsallaştırma şekli, AB'nin kuruluş normlarını ve ilkelerini zayıflatmaktadır. Tez, AB’nin, mevcut göç ve iltica vi politikaları ile, normatif bir güç değil, realpolitik ya da en iyi ihtimalle statükocu bir güç olduğu sonucuna varmıştır. Anahtar kelimeler: Normatif güç, Avrupa Birliği, göç politikası, güvenlikleştirme, dışsallaştırma. vii To My Family viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Assist. Prof. Dr. Zerrin Torun for her guidance, advice, criticism, encouragements and insight throughout the research. I would also like to thank Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sıtkı Bilgin and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sevilay Kahraman for their precious suggestions and comments. I express my gratitude to my beloved parents, Deniz and Ufuk Zengin, to my beloved sister Helin Zengin, to my beloved husband Sezgin Kaya and his family. They supported me with their love and patience during my studies all the time. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM.............................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT................................................................................................................iv ÖZ................................................................................................................................vi DEDICATION...........................................................................................................viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................ix TABLE OF CONTENTS..............................................................................................x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………....1 2. NORMATIVE POWER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION…………………....8 2.1 Introduction……………………………………………….....................8 2.2 Traditional conceptualizations of the EU’s international role.................9 2.2.1 Civilian Power Europe………………………………………......10 2.2.2 Military Power Europe…………………………………………..11 2.3 Normative Power Europe.......................................................................13 2.3.1 Explaining the Normative Basis and Normative Difference of the EU…………………………………………………..14 2.3.2 The Diffusion of the EU norms and principles to the wider World……………………………………………………….18 2.3.3 What is normative about the EU?.................................................19 2.3.4 How to judge or assess the Normative Power Europe?................21 2.3.5 The criticisms against the Normative Power Europe…………....26 2.4 Conclusion……………………….........................................................37 3. MIGRATION POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION……………….......39 3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………................39 3.2 Historical development of the migration policy at the EU level...........40 3.3 Towards a common EU migration policy: The Europeanization of the national migration policies...................................................................43 3.3.1 Cooperation in the Pre-Amsterdam Period...................................45 x 3.3.1.1 The first Major Project Towards the Common Migration Policy: The Schengen Agreement in 1985…..............47 3.3.1.2 The Single European Act…………………………….....49 3.3.1.3 Intergovernmental Cooperation outside the Treaty framework……………………………………………….51 3.3.1.4 The Maastricht Treaty…………………………..............54 3.3.2 The Amsterdam Treaty and its aftermath………………............56 3.4 The securitization of migration in the European Union……….............64 3.4.1 The Securitization Theory………………………........................65 3.4.2 The securitization of migration in the European Union ………..69 3.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….78 4. THE EXTERNAL DIMENSION OF THE EU’S MIGRATION POLICY: JUSTIFYING THE CLAIM OF ‘NORMATIVE POWER EUROPE’?........81 4.1 Introduction….......................................................................................81 4.2 Towards an external migration policy: Externalization of internal asylum and migration policies of the EU…………………………...............82 4.2.1 The early steps towards external migration policy……..............82 4.2.1.1 Pre- Tampere Period………………...............................84 4.2.1.2 Tampere European Council and its aftermath…….........90 4.2.2 Externalization of the EU’s migration policies to non-EU countries: Instruments of cooperation with third countries……….....94 4.3 The assessment of ‘Normative Power Europe’ claim within the context of the migration policy of the EU....................................................102 4.3.1 What makes the EU not a normative power?............................102 4.3.1.1 Securitization and Externalization of migration policies contradicts Normative Power Europe…………………............103 4.3.1.2 Readmission and border management policies of the EU………………………………………………………108 4.4 The EU is not a normative power, but a realpolitik or status quo power at best……………………................................................123 4.5 Conclusion…………………………………………...........................126 5. CONCLUSION……………………………………….................................128 xi REFERENCES.........................................................................................................134 APPENDICES A. TURKISH SUMMARY/ TÜRKÇE ÖZET .................