Eleven years after the ‘summer of migration’: how much solidarity is there in Brandenburg today?

Eleven years after the so-called ‘Summer of Migration’ in 2015, researchers, civil society actors and migrant self-help groups are discussing the future of migration societies based on solidarity in Brandenburg and Europe. The research project VASiB and the sub-project “Conflicts over Democracy and Migration” at the Centre for Structural Change and Regional Development (ZeStuR) at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, together with the Brandenburg Refugee Council, are hosting the public online event “10+1 Years of the Summer of Migration: What Now?”.

On Thursday, 28 May 2026, from 5 pm to 7 pm, the focus will be on the question: What remains of the political and social upheaval of 2015 – and what scope for action still exists today for solidarity-based refugee and migration policies?

The summer of 2015 is regarded as a turning point in European migration policy. Whilst new forms of civil society solidarity emerged at that time, the following years saw asylum laws tightened, borders more strictly controlled and political scope increasingly restricted. At the same time, numerous initiatives and self-organisations of refugees in Brandenburg continue to campaign for participation, rights and solidarity-based structures.

In the first part of the event, migration researcher Dr Bernd Kasparek from Delft University of Technology will analyse developments over the past eleven years – from the dynamics of the ‘summer of migration’ to the current tightening of the European asylum system, in particular the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

In the second part, the focus will be on Brandenburg: representatives of self-organisations, local initiatives and projects will discuss current challenges and prospects for a society of solidarity with migrants at a local level.

The event ties in with the platform 2015remembered.org, which documents perspectives from Brandenburg on the Summer of Migration. “The event brings together academia, civil society practice and migrant perspectives to ask: Where do we stand today – and how can solidarity be further developed despite restrictive conditions,” says Prof. Dr Birgit Behrensen, chair of the Department of Sociology for Social Work at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.

10+1 Years of the Summer of Migration: What Now?
Date: Thursday, 28 May 2026, 5–7 pm
Online event | Free
to attend Registration: fg-soziologie@b-tu.de

The event is aimed at interested parties from academia, politics, public administration, civil society and the voluntary sector, as well as anyone concerned with asylum, migration and social cohesion in Brandenburg.