Unveiling the Liberal Conundrum: Feminist Foreign Policy's Role in EU Migration Control Policies

In a world where migration and refugee crises continue to challenge nations, Germany's Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) guidelines, published in early 2023, have raised concerns among experts and NGOs. The policy, titled "Shaping Feminist Foreign Policy: Federal Foreign Office Guidelines," while emphasising gender equality and women's rights, omits critical discussions on migration and asylum matters.

This omission is not unique to Germany's FFP. Across the globe, FFPs have been criticised for insufficiently incorporating gender data and migration dimensions, hampering the ability to track inequalities and limit accountability in migration contexts [1].

The Swedish government's handbook on FFP, published in 2014, served as a blueprint for similar policies. However, it aimed to integrate feminist perspectives in all areas of foreign policy, promote the rights of women and girls worldwide, and combat discrimination. The Swedish FFP agenda, unlike Germany's current policy, explicitly addressed migration and asylum issues.

The omission of migration and asylum matters in Germany's FFP framework means that the specific challenges faced by women and marginalized groups in migration contexts remain under-addressed. Feminist migration politics demand intersectional approaches that consider gender, race, legal status, and other factors to effectively protect rights and promote equality. Without explicitly integrating migration and asylum issues, the policy risks overlooking these needs, thereby impairing the operationalization of feminist principles in migration governance.

The implications of this omission are far-reaching. A lack of comprehensive gender-sensitive data and analysis on migrants and asylum seekers undermines evidence-based policy-making. It also misses opportunities to address systemic inequalities that migrant women and marginalized groups face, such as access to protection, healthcare, and legal rights.

Moreover, the disconnect between Germany’s feminist foreign policy rhetoric and the realities on the ground in global migration and asylum challenges reduces policy credibility and effectiveness. It also makes it difficult to ensure that humanitarian and migration policies align fully with feminist mandates, including intersectionality and empowerment.

The neglect of migration and asylum issues in Germany’s FFP guidelines constrains feminist migration politics by leaving essential gendered vulnerabilities unaddressed, which is critical for realizing feminist objectives in international migration governance [1][3]. Integrating these areas with robust gender data and intersectional frameworks would enhance policy coherence and impact.

Meanwhile, the German government and the EU have been implementing restrictive asylum politics, with proposed changes to the Common European Asylum System further violating access to asylum rights on European soil. The coalition government in Germany has promised a hardened stance on deportations, adding to the growing concern over the country's approach to migration and asylum.

These developments have sparked criticism from NGOs, including the Heinrich Böll Foundation and 17 other organisations, who responded with a joint position paper in July 2023. The paper highlights the critical role of gender data in FFPs and the need to address migration and asylum issues within FFP frameworks.

References:

[1] [Link to source] [3] [Link to source]

This article first appeared on gr.boell.org.

Unveiling the Liberal Conundrum: Feminist Foreign Policy's Role in EU Migration Control Policies