Musicians Without Borders takes inspiration from the values of humanism, inclusion, nonviolent social change and peaceful co-existence. These values have for many years been at the core of Europe’s shared identity, and have contributed to the image of Europe as a safe haven for people forced to flee their own regions due to war, persecution, climate emergencies or extreme poverty. Over the decades since the second world war, many people have found a welcome in Europe and have been able to build new lives and contribute to their new communities. Culture is enriched, labor needs supported, and communities benefit from diversity.
On this World Refugee Day, June 20, 2026 Musicians Without Borders expresses our disappointment with the European Union’s adoption of the new Return Regulation, making asylum in EU countries, family reunification, and other basic human rights more difficult for people in forced migration, while making it easier for states to exclude, mistreat, or deport people seeking refuge.
Musicians Without Borders works with people and communities struggling with the impacts of war and armed conflict, including displacement from their homes. Our projects in the Western Balkans, Western Asia (Middle East), Central Eastern Africa, and Europe include both internally displaced people and people seeking safety in other regions. We know that people do not leave their homes unless they are forced to by war, persecution, grueling poverty, or climate disaster and there is no other choice.
We are alarmed at the increasing rhetoric of war in Europe, the sowing of fear, and the steady increase in weapons and military spending, at the cost of care, attention and resources for actual human needs, affecting all people living in Europe, whether native-born or newcomers. We believe that these developments run counter to the best of shared European values.
History should warn us that the simultaneous decrease in resources for an inclusive society– for art, culture, education, healthcare, and housing– and increase in militarization, fueled by fear of the outgroup, lead to authoritarianism and even to fascism.
Musicians Without Borders stands in solidarity with people in forced migration—including in the EU—as we use the power of music wherever we can to connect people across borders and to say to all: you are welcome here.
