European liberal policies towards Syrian refugees: providing dignity as well as security?

This article contributes to the literature on European policies on refugees, and on the EU as a liberal actor. We use the normative literature on migration and refugees, and international law, to assess the extent to which European policies towards Syrian refugees since 2011 can be considered liberal. We suggest an ideal liberal actor should provide not only security to refugees in transit and on its territory, but also dignity with access to legal justice. Our article recognises the hypocrisy of European actors towards refugees with policies not matching rhetoric. However, unlike most of the literature on EU policies on migrants and refugees, we offer more nuance, and highlight that European actors have at times adopted a remarkably liberal attitude. Sweden and Germany played a notable role in providing both security and dignity to almost two million refugees, although their policies are changing. We also argue that a European liberal approach is emerging in terms of providing legal justice to Syrian refugees, including justice for crimes committed in Syria. The EU’s Court of Justice, EU institutions, and national courts in most European states – especially France, with the possible prosecution of former President Assad, are at the forefront of this.