On March 11, 2026, the last guest lecture took place as part of the Jean Monnet project European Perspectives on Climate, Conflict, and Migration (EUPECCOM). Following previous lectures on climate and war conflicts, we welcomed an expert on migration. Omar Sayfo from the Migration Research Institute in Budapest came to Ružomberok with a lecture entitled Europe and Migration. At the university library, he first presented the history of migration in this geographical area during the 20th century. He discussed the roots of migration, different types of migration, and experiences with this phenomenon in different countries.

During the subsequent discussion, he answered questions from the audience. He pointed out that migration is regulated in different ways in different countries and regions. Mostly, migrants were legal migrants for work reasons, and once they finished their work, there was no reason for them to remain in the host country. However, some countries gradually allowed the families of these first migrants to join them. This led to large numbers of people from different countries coming to Europe. Some countries tried to assimilate migrants, while others allowed them to live in their own communities or ghettos.

Omar Sayfo pointed out that Europe relies on cooperation with countries at its gates, such as Turkey, to address the phenomenon of migration. It pays these countries to intercept migrants, thereby gaining time to resolve the situation.

This public lecture was organized within the framework of the project No. 101127675 European Perspectives on Climate, Conflict and Migration (EUPECCOM), carried out by a team from the Faculty of Arts and Letters, which was supported by the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Actions in the field of Higher Education: Modules scheme. More information about the project: http://eupeccom.ku.sk

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.