In her doctoral dissertation Undoing the Borders of ‘Access’, Berfin Nur Osso explores how the EU and its Member States manage refugee movements, particularly from countries like Türkiye, and the impact of these measures on refugees' lives.
“My research challenges traditional understandings of borders and proposes a new analytical framework to understand refugee struggles with the EU’s changing borders,” Osso explains.
The research delves into both "externalisation" – shifting responsibility to countries outside the EU, and "internalisation" – restricting refugees' movements and rights within the EU. An example of externalisation is the agreement between the EU and Türkiye in March 2016, often called the EU-Turkey deal, which made it harder for refugees to cross into Greece from Türkiye and allowed Greece to send refugees back to Türkiye. In this way, the EU tries to keep many refugees out of its territory even before they arrive in the EU, especially those coming from countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. However, together with strict border controls and visa regimes, externalisation puts many refugees in an impossible bind. It can force refugees into dangerous situations by making them seek help from smugglers or lead to denial of legal protection without sufficient grounds.
Once, and if, refugees enter the EU territory, they often face strict rules that limit where they can go, how and in what conditions they should live, and what rights they have. These rules are examples of “internalisation”. For example, refugees might be forced to stay in certain camps or specific areas, such as on the Greek or Italian islands, while they wait for their asylum requests to be processed, which may take two to three years. Moreover, these refugees often face social exclusion and discrimination in host societies, which makes them feel unwelcome.
These two strategies work together, creating a multilayered, discriminatory mechanism of control. This shows how political and security concerns sideline human rights and the fair treatment of refugees. These concerns overshadow the commitment of the EU and its Member States to international law and their international refugee protection obligations.
Different ways to resist
Through case studies on the Greek islands, the research examines the legal, physical, and social borders that refugees encounter. While legal borders are laws that decide who can enter and stay and who must leave, social borders entail attitudes and discourses about refugees. The aim was to understand how these borders affect refugees’ ability to access safety and rights in the EU, and how refugees, despite these challenges, continue to struggle for recognition and rights.
“In this sense, I place the concept of “access” on centre stage. In my research, this concept refers to how refugees are allowed – or not allowed – to enter a country, receive protection, and be included in society. Access is not just about physical entry, but also about gaining rights such as asylum, healthcare, education, and work,” Osso says.
Even though the EU’s laws and policies try to control refugees, the research shows that refugees do not just accept the practices they encounter. They resist in different ways in their daily lives, such as through painting, social media, and other forms of protest. This shows that refugees are actively fighting for their rights, even in tough circumstances, and in ways that might be perceived by others as passive.
By using audiovisual methods and interviews for a bottom-up understanding of the political, social, and legal implications of migration management, Osso was able to bring a unique perspective on how refugees experience border enforcement, the asylum process, and societal integration. This approach provides new insights into the lived realities of refugees, offering a deeper understanding of the border experiences that are often difficult to capture with traditional legal analysis or methods.
Insights for policymakers
The study's findings are particularly relevant in light of ongoing issues at the EU's external borders and the recent reforms of the EU asylum system. For instance, the situation at the Greek-Turkish border, where refugees face pushbacks and closed borders and are often denied access to asylum procedures, mirrors recent challenges in the treatment of refugees at the Finnish-Russian border. Despite differences in geography, both borders reflect a wider EU strategy focused on deterrence and amplified control over certain refugee populations. The research highlights the disparities in the treatment of non-European refugees and calls for fairer and safer alternatives.
The findings of the research offer valuable insights for policymakers, NGOs, and refugee communities. It provides a systematic framework that brings insights into the number of levels refugees need to overcome to be fully integrated into new societies and enjoy their rights after fleeing their homes. This framework can guide the reform of asylum systems, ensuring equitable access to rights and protections for refugees regardless of their countries of origin. The framework can also offer a schema for NGOs and human rights advocates to develop more effective strategies to uphold refugee rights and challenge exclusionary practices.
More about the public examination:
Berfin Nur Osso, MSocSc LLB will defend the doctoral dissertation entitled "Undoing the Borders of 'Access': A Socio-Legal Inquiry into Migration Management and Refugee Struggles at the European Union's External Borders" on 10 January 2025 at 13:15. The public examination will take place at the following address: Porthania, PIII, Yliopistonkatu 3.
Professor of International Migration Law Maja Janmyr, University of Oslo, will serve as the opponent, and Panu Minkkinen as the custos.
The dissertation is also available in electronic form in Helda.
Further information:
Doctoral researcher Berfin Nur Osso
+358 40 873 5303
berfin.osso@helsinki.fi