Politics of Syrian Refugee Public Policy 2015 - 2016: A Study of the Influence of the French National Party on European Parliament Member Votes

Abstract

In 2015 a crisis occurred in Europe because of the influx of millions of refugees from the Middle East and Africa, mainly from Syria. The EU, as a supranational institution responsible for this issue, sought to resolve the crisis by issuing policies. One of the European Union institutions in charge of policy is the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) while in parliament are no longer representatives of national parties, but representatives of European political groups. Making use of behavioral patterns theory in the process of public policy and the network of actors, this paper seeks to prove that France's national party does have an influence on the European Parliament (EP) members in the Syrian refugee policy of the European Union 2015-2016. European political groups are not the sole determinants of the decision of the French MEPs because this policy is crucial. This influence is seen when national parties and European groups have different views on an issue.