LAUSR

In 2015 and 2016, around one million migrants and refugees disembarking from Turkey arrived in the European Union (EU), mostly in Greece but also partly in Bulgaria. During some months, up to 200,000 landed on the Greek islands. However, from March 2016 on, due to certain policy interventions, this influx decreased significantly, and by 2017 had gone down to 29,000, similar to the average seen in earlier years. Whilst many were merely in transit through Turkey, many others had stayed in Turkey for some time and either applied for asylum or registered under temporary protection, living and working in the country for a while. Those who left Turkey had been driven either by strong migration network effects (i.e., the attraction of relatives in other countries) or by a lack of opportunities, and thus integration, in Turkey. Nevertheless, because the majority of migrants and refugees stayed in Turkey, the country is now primarily an immigration country. This commentary will look at the broader context of migration to, from, and through Turkey. Notably, it will discuss the discrepancy between de jure and de facto integration, as well as the tension between religiously inspired and legally defined concepts. Finally, it will suggest that shortcomings in terms of the integration of migrants and refugees acts as a driver of onward movements, and is thus likely to shape future flows.