International migrations in Europe. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the Mediterranean crisis: an historical overview

Today much attention is devoted to the European migrant crisis. Migration, however, is not an entirely new phenomenon. Starting from a brief historical overview of migration flows of the last twenty years, the article discusses the different steps leading to a common European policy on migration. The article underlines the need to overcome the questionable approach of some European countries and the emergency measures that the European Union as a whole has so far taken in order to face the issue.