Climate migrants and integration: the challenges for the host communities. Comparing the European and the Australian cases

Abstract

Migranti climatici e integrazione: le sfide per le comunità di accoglienza. Una comparazione fra Europa ed Australia - The essay critically assesses legal responses to climate-induced migration, highlighting the fragmentation of protection and inclusion measures. In the EU, protection is generally fragmented, relying on temporary or conditional statuses that fail to facilitate long-term integration. In stark contrast, the selective Australia-Tuvalu bilateral model grants a privileged status and specific entitlements. However, this approach raises ethical and political questions regarding the instrumentalization of protection and the discriminatory exclusion of other vulnerable groups from a comprehensive pathway. The resulting patchwork demands a cohesive, rights-based EU paradigm with a stable, convertible legal status and guaranteed access to comprehensive integration.

Keywords: Climate migrants; Protection mechanisms; Inclusion policies; Legal fragmentation; Status