At the same time, the need for labour migration is increasing in a Europe that is increasingly short of workers. The political bidding war for ever stricter measures does little to change this. In Bel me als je daar bent (Call me when you get there), Flor Didden reconstructs the decade that shook the foundations of European thinking on asylum and migration.
As an expert, the author was in the front row at key moments, from the deal with Turkey to the Marrakesh Pact. But for just as long, he has been travelling around Lesbos, Niger and the Polish-Belarusian border.
The result is a book that is like a kaleidoscope, both sharp and human. It deals with the flaws in our migration architecture, the far right and fake news. But it also deals with the solidarity of ordinary citizens and the conviction that a different policy is not only necessary but also possible.
