ACRONYM Policy Paper: Making Cooperation Possible: Narratives, Trust and Moral Frameworks in Europe’s Asylum and Migration Debate
Migration is one of the most polarising issues in Europe – not only because of its scale, but because of the meanings attached to it.
Our new policy paper, Making Cooperation Possible: Narratives, Trust and Moral Frameworks in Europe’s Asylum and Migration Debate, presents the final findings of the ACRONYM project. It argues that cooperation on asylum and migration often fails not due to missing legal instruments, but because it is politically, morally and narratively difficult.
Drawing on comparative Eurobarometer data, focus groups across five countries, a survey among priests and religious leaders in Slovakia and policy dialogues in Bratislava and Paris, the paper shows how migration debates are shaped by moral frameworks, selective empathy, and trust dynamics. It highlights the role of trusted intermediaries, including journalists, educators, and religious actors, in shaping how policies are understood and accepted.
The paper outlines five conditions for advancing cooperation in Europe: recognising different moral starting points, addressing “imagined migration,” managing selective solidarity, rebuilding trust through credible intermediaries and strengthening interpretive capacity.