The Convention on Refugees has effectively been carried to its grave because of the deals with Turkey and Libya. The ‘hotspots’ on the Greek islands are being presented as a humane solution for the refugee crisis, but is it in fact a solution in name only? We are shifting and outsourcing the refugee problem to countries on the periphery of Europe or even beyond.
The documentary film The Deal is an inside perspective on the reality of European asylum policy in Greece after the EU-Turkey deal and explores how this relates to our European ideals. On the island of Lesbos we see the disastrous effects of decisions made in Brussels and their far-reaching consequences. What principle were they based on? How do they work out in reality and how are we going to solve the issue with a view to the future? To answer these questions, we follow various cogs in the asylum machine: the architect, the caseworkers, the lawyer, the priest, the volunteer, and of course: the refugee. Can they turn back the tide?
