A back-handed Christmas present: the EU takes dire steps to erode the right to asylum. To celebrate the birthday of a refugee child who famously suggested we love one another, on our holiday episode, we discuss refugees and the issue of asylum.

The EU moves toward further restricting asylum. The new pact agreed on 20 December, even refuses a proposed age limit for the detention of irregular arrivals, or family protections. Yet, refugees continue to cross unconventional paths as they face wars, political volatility, persecution and the worsening effects of climate disasters. #refugees #asylum

Our Guests Martin Wagner is the Senior Policy Advisor for Asylum at the International Center for Migration Policy Development. He specializes in European and international refugee, human rights, and anti-discrimination law. Wagner has authored several studies on European asylum systems​ and has experience in providing legal assistance, monitoring law enforcement, as well as capacity-building projects in various countries.

Olena Yermakova is an interdisciplinary researcher focusing on Central and Eastern European migration. She was awarded a junior visiting fellowship in the "Ukraine in European Dialogue" program at the Institute of Human Sciences (IWM) Vienna. Yermakova continues her research into Ukrainian labor migrants in Poland at the Research Centre for the History of Transformations at the University of Vienna.

We meet with them at The Alte Schmiede Kunstverein, Vienna. To support our work, please go to patreon.com/eurozine.

You find sources and related reads here: https://www.eurozine.com/authors/standard-time/

Creative team Réka Kinga Papp, editor-in-chief Merve Akyel, art director Szilvia Pintér, producer Zsófia Gabriella Papp, executive producer Margarita Lechner, writer-editor Salma Shaka, writer-editor Priyanka Hutschenreiter, project assistant

Management Hermann Riessner managing director Judit Csikós project manager Csilla Nagyné Kardos, office administration

OKTO Crew Senad Hergić producer Leah Hochedlinger video recording Marlena Stolze video recording Clemens Schmiedbauer video recording Richard Brusek sound recording

Postproduction Nóra Ruszkai, lead video editor Réka Kinga Papp, conversation editor

Art Victor Maria Lima, animation Cornelia Frischauf, theme music

Captions and subtitles Julia Sobota, Daniela Univazo, Mars Zaslavsky, Marta Ferdebar, Olena Yermakova, Farah Ayyash

Hosted by the Alte Schmiede Kunstverein, Vienna.

Disclosure This talk show is a Display Europe production: a ground-breaking media platform anchored in public values. This programme is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and the European Cultural Foundation. Importantly, the views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors and speakers only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.