The European Union Under the Conditions of the Migration Crises: Consequences for the Evolution of the Identity of the European Union

The aim of this paper is to analyse the consequences of the migration crises that occurred in 2015–2016 and as a result of the war in Ukraine and their significance for the identity of the European Union. The analysis pays attention to the concept of “European identity” and its evolution in the conditions of changing international reality, as well as to the migration crises that have affected Europe in recent years, and therefore the European Union itself. The thesis is proposed that during the so-called European migration crisis of 2015–2016 and 2022–2024, there was a “normative gap” between EU Member States, which led to different bases for argumentation about the shape of EU migration policy. Moreover, the paper answers the question – how do these crises affect the EU’s ability to influence the environment using normative and soft power, and what is the significance these crises for the identity of the community? It was found that the identity of the EU is still evolving, and that as a result of the migration crises its character has become more defensive. At the same time, in the European Union member states there is still a strong belief that problems, including migration problems, can be solved more effectively not so much at the EU level but rather at the level of nation states.