Browsing by Author "Hakkarainen, Mikko"

Asylum seekers aspiring to find refuge in the territory of the European Union are faced with a myriad of barriers to entry that inhibit or even prevent legal entry into the Union. Among these barriers emerges EU visa policy effectively requiring nationals of all major refugee-producing countries to meet strict visa requirements to lawfully cross the external borders of the Union. As a result many attempt to reach the territory of the Member States irregularly and often in precarious fashion. The EU Visa Code (810/2009/EC) enables Member States to issue visas for humanitarian purposes despite the applicant not fulfilling the prescribed entry requirements under the Schengen acquis. The thesis expounds current visa practices in the Schengen framework and sheds light on the barriers to entry and the notion of the humanitarian visa. The employment of conscious and harmonised visa policy at Union level could facilitate the safe passage of asylum seekers into the European Union as one tool in the toolbox for lowering the migrant death toll.