Journals / Diplomasi Araştırmaları Dergisi / 2026 / Sayı: 2026

Differentiated Integration and the Diverging Preferences of Member States in European Union Migration Governance

Farklılaştırılmış Entegrasyon ve Avrupa Birliği Göç Yönetişiminde Üye Devletlerin Farklılaşan Tercihleri

Pages
1–27
Publication Date
2026-04-25
DOI
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate that the “à la carte” governance norm has become a structural norm applicable to all member state groups in EU migration policy and that current reform initiatives tend to institutionalize rather than transform this norm.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study comparatively analyzes the dynamics of differentiation in EU migration policy through three actor groups: the Visegrad bloc, the Mediterranean countries, and the pro-integration core states.
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Key Findings & Data:This cyclical structure has reproduced itself in the Migration and Asylum Pact adopted in 2024.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate that the “à la carte” governance norm has become a structural norm applicable to all member state groups in EU migration policy and that current reform initiatives tend to institutionalize rather than transform this norm.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2024 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Farklılaştırılmış entegrasyon · Avrupa Birliği · Göç Yönetişimi

Abstract

This study comparatively analyzes the dynamics of differentiation in EU migration policy through three actor groups: the Visegrad bloc, the Mediterranean countries, and the pro-integration core states. The central argument, developed within the framework of differentiated integration theory, is that divergence in EU migration policy cannot be reduced to the political resistance of a single bloc but rather constitutes a multi-layered structural cycle in which each layer reinforces the others. The sovereignty-oriented ideological rejection of the Visegrad bloc, the reform demands of the Mediterranean countries fueled by the disproportionate burden created by the Dublin architecture, and the de facto directive non-compliance accompanying the solidarist discourse of the core states all contribute, through entirely different rationales, to the same outcome: the impossibility of a comprehensive common policy. This cyclical structure has reproduced itself in the Migration and Asylum Pact adopted in 2024. The flexible solidarity mechanism has been regarded by the Visegrad countries as a de facto substitute for relocation through financial contributions, while the Mediterranean countries have emphasized that the arrangement does not fundamentally resolve the burden-sharing problem. The European Commission’s infringement data also provide documentary evidence of this picture. Chronic non-compliance with directives in the field of migration is not confined to peripheral blocs alone but extends to the very states that have historically championed integration. The findings indicate that the “à la carte” governance norm has become a structural norm applicable to all member state groups in EU migration policy and that current reform initiatives tend to institutionalize rather than transform this norm.

Özet

Bu çalışma, AB göç politikasındaki farklılaşma dinamiklerini Visegrad grubu, Akdeniz ülkeleri ve entegrasyon yanlısı çekirdek devletler olmak üzere üç aktör grubu üzerinden karşılaştırmalı biçimde analiz etmektedir. Farklılaştırılmış entegrasyon kuramı çerçevesinde geliştirilen temel argüman, AB göç politikasındaki ayrışmanın tek bir grubun siyasi direncine indirgenemeyeceği ve birbirini besleyen çok katmanlı bir yapısal döngü oluşturduğudur. Visegrad grubunun egemenlik odaklı ideolojik reddi, Akdeniz ülkelerinin Dublin mimarisinin yarattığı orantısız yükten beslenen reform talepleri ve çekirdek devletlerin dayanışmacı söylemine eşlik eden fiili direktif uyumsuzlukları, bütünüyle farklı gerekçelerle aynı sonuca, yani kapsamlı bir ortak politikanın imkânsızlığına katkıda bulunmaktadır. Bu döngüsel yapı, 2024 yılında kabul edilen Göç ve İltica Paktı’nda da kendini yeniden üretmiştir. Esnek dayanışma mekanizması, Visegrad ülkeleri tarafından mali katkı yoluyla yeniden yerleştirmenin fiili bir ikamesi olarak değerlendirilirken, Akdeniz ülkeleri düzenlemenin yük paylaşımı sorununu temelden çözmediğini vurgulamıştır. Avrupa Komisyonu’nun ihlal verileri de bu tablonun belgesel kanıtını sunmaktadır. Göç alanındaki direktiflere yönelik kronik uyumsuzlukların yalnızca çevre bloklarla sınırlı olmadığı, bizzat entegrasyonun tarihsel savunucusu konumundaki devletleri de kapsadığı görülmektedir. Bulgular, “à la carte” yönetişim normunun AB göç politikasında tüm üye devlet grupları için geçerli yapısal bir norm haline geldiğine ve mevcut reform girişimlerinin bu normu dönüştürmekten ziyade kurumsallaştırma eğiliminde olduğuna işaret etmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Uyğun, E. D. (2026). Differentiated Integration and the Diverging Preferences of Member States in European Union Migration Governance. Diplomasi Araştırmaları Dergisi, Sayı: 2026, 1–27. https://ajindex.com/articles/1473080

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