During the 20th Georgetown University Transatlantic Policy Symposium (TAPS) on "Divided Europe? Straining the Limits of Unity," Fatlum Gashi (MPA '17) presented his research paper on how the refugee crisis in Europe has strained EU political cooperation. Gashi was one of eight graduate students selected from a pool of applicants from over 30 countries to participate in this one-day conference organized by the Center for German and European Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Speaking during a graduate student panel on "Challenges from Within: Navigating Internal Divisions," Gashi recommended taking a supranational approach to the refugee crisis. "The EU should establish common rules and regulations at a supranational level to ensure that the refugee settlement scheme is implemented," he emphasized. "This foundation will make the EU better equipped to handle similar crises in the future." His paper is available to read in its entirety here.
"One of the most exciting parts of this conference was the expert panels," Gashi said. He enjoyed the diversity of opinions expressed by representatives from organizations including the U.S. Department of State, the EU Delegation to the United Nations, and the Migration Policy Institute. "It was interesting to see how these experts discussed issues that mattered to each of them, but from different angles," he explained.
Gashi currently has a strong interest in migration and refugee issues, a topic that sits at the intersection of his specializations in governance and security in the MPA program at the CEU School of Public Policy. "Migration policy operates at both national and international levels, where local governance as well as regional cooperation are critical," he noted. In the future, Gashi hopes to continue his academic career and pursue a PhD.