The Double Standards of Protection: An Analysis of the EU’s Differential Response to the Syrian Refugees in 2015 and Refugees from Ukraine in 2022

Immediately following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union (EU) activated the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) for Ukrainian refugees, contrasting with its inaction during the 2015 Syrian crisis. This inconsistency revealed double standards in EU refugee policy. This thesis explores the EU's Othering in its responses to the Syrian and Ukrainian refugee situations, showing how the EU portrays migrants to affirm its identity. While the response to Syrians in 2015 depicted refugees as a threat to European Christian identity, the response to Ukrainians in 2022 showed more solidarity due to shared "Europeanness." Using the TPD as a lens, this thesis exposes the EU's selective refugee protection based on racialized Othering, where more "European" groups receive favorable treatment. Media narratives further emphasize the differences between Syrian and Ukrainian refugees. The thesis calls for the EU to prioritize human rights over restrictive identity notions.