The Last Border
The war in Ukraine revealed Europe's real policies towards refugees. Ukrainians are automatically granted international protection. For the others, from Middle East and North Africa, the reality could not be more different: they either die at sea or wait several years for the asylum procedures. Many are now homeless in the heart of Europe, Brussels, just a few blocks away from the European Commission building. In recent years, European states have withdrawn rescue operations from the sea, strengthened all borders and funded states like Libya or Turkey to prevent new boat arrivals with refugees. At the same time, they opened their doors to Ukrainians, proving that, after all, it was possible to welcome those who died at Europe's doorstep. The Last Border is ideological and also the hardest to cross.