Not Just an Invasion, but a Surrender | MCC Brussels Podcast

This summer, the MCC Brussels podcast is doing things a little differently. In a series of more focused conversations, we take a deeper look at some of the big questions shaping Europe.

In this episode, Jacob is joined by Frank Furedi, Executive Director of MCC Brussels and author of Why Borders Matter, to examine what the scenes in Ceuta reveal about Europe’s political relationship with borders.

First, the discussion turns to the invasion of Ceuta and Frank’s argument that it should not be dismissed as an exceptional event. Instead, it offers a dramatic glimpse of the slower migration crisis taking place across Europe every day.

Then Jacob and Frank discuss Sánchez’s migration amnesty, Brussels’ performative politics of border control and the growing pressure that populist parties are placing on governments that previously treated borders as an inconvenience.

Finally, the episode turns to Europe’s reliance on Morocco, Turkey and other third countries to control migration. Frank compares the EU’s strategy to Rome’s decision to outsource its own defence and asks whether Europe can retain its sovereignty while depending upon other states to protect its territory.