One hundred years of refugees in Europe: History’s Encounter with the Present

The word “refugee” is not new in Europe. However, since 2015 refugees have been at the centre of a debate – among politicians, international organisations, non--governmental organisations and citizens – and a shared concern about how to receive and deal with the large number of refugees who have arrived in Europe, primarily from Syria, in search of safety and stability. In fact, Europe and, more specifically, the European Union (EU) have not had to deal with a wave of refugees of this magnitude since the Second World War. Certainly the last three years cannot be compared to the 1940s nor is the context in which this new wave is occurring comparable, but the status of refugee remains essentially the same as do the causes leading to it.