@article{2023:laube:search_and,
title = {Search and rescue NGOs as a focal point in debates on the  reception of refugees in the EU: Research essay on an Italian  and German case study},
year = {2023},
note = {After criticising a lack of rescue capacities and an increase in
border deaths at the maritime EU external borders, search and rescue
(SAR) NGOs have been sending out vessels since 2014. While the
responsibility for SAR lies with the coastal states, we start from the
assumption that these NGOs have now become part of the border regime.
They pursue different activities to make the border regime, in their
view, more humane and in line with European legal and moral
obligations, and aim to mobilise a broader network supporting their
activities. We observe a variety of actors – including churches,
political actors, and civil society organisations – contributing to
controversial public debates on their intervention. In our ZivDem
project, we argue that various positions and conflicts around the
reception of irregular migrants and refugees in Europe crystallise in
the dissent on private SAR operations. In this research essay, we
present a comparative research design to show how to analyse this
dissent and how it plays out concretely in public debates in different
member states. We focus – in a first approach – on recent events
surrounding SAR NGOs and reactions in Italy and Germany to gain
insights into the debates and reflect on emerging lines of conflict.
Both national and transnational dimensions are taken into account. We
conclude with the hypothesis that ultimately the debates are about
different visions of European democracy.},
journal = {Culture, Practice & Europeanization},
pages = {166--182},
author = {Laube, Lena and Ullrich, Maria},
volume = {8},
number = {2}
}