Hanne Beirens
Hanne Beirens is former Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe, where she specialised in European Union policies related to asylum and migration, human trafficking, labour migration, and youth. She is an MPI Europe Fellow.
Prior to joining MPI as Associate Director in 2015, Dr. Beirens worked as a Lead Managing Consultant for ICF Consulting, where she focused on impact assessments, feasibility studies, and evaluations for the European Commission, with a particular focus on EU asylum and migration policy.
Earlier, Dr. Beirens worked as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Applied Social Studies of the University of Birmingham, evaluating services, organisations, and community-based initiatives pursuing the integration of asylum seekers, refugees, and third-country nationals. She also has worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and as an independent consultant for the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO).
She holds a master's degree in race and ethnic relations (with distinction) and a PhD in sociology and ethnic relations on the participation of minors in armed conflict, both from the University of Warwick (UK).
Explore Content by Hanne Beirens
Showing 31-36 of 36 total results
Three Things the European Union Can Do to Support Private Sponsorship for Refugees
Amid disagreement over the appropriate way to manage European borders and grant access to protection, private sponsorship of refugees may have a valuable role to play.
Horst Seehofer’s Migration Plan for Germany: Another nail in the coffin of Europe’s asylum system?
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer's plan to bar asylum seekers at German borders conflicts with EU and international law and threatens the Common European Asylum System.
Cracked Foundation, Uncertain Future: Structural weaknesses in the Common European Asylum System
Structural deficiencies embedded across every stage of the Common European Asylum System long predated the 2015–16 migration crisis, and legal reform alone cannot resolve them.
Scaling up Refugee Resettlement in Europe: The role of institutional peer support
Peer support can motivate European states to scale up refugee resettlement, but poorly aligned goals and mismatched participants limit its effectiveness.
Taking Stock of Refugee Resettlement: Policy objectives, practical tradeoffs, and the evidence base
Refugee resettlement programmes lack clear goals, evaluation traditions, and cost data. These gaps must be closed if growing state commitments are to be targeted and effective.
Children: The forgotten aspect of the EU-Turkey deal
Children made up 40 percent of arrivals in Greece in February 2016, yet the EU-Turkey returns deal overlooks the complex legal protections they are entitled to receive.
