The Chain of Emergencies: Routinisation of the Migration Emergency Governance in Lithuania and Poland in 2020–2023

This paper investigates the governance of emergencies in Lithuania and Poland from 2020 to 2023, focusing on how multiple crises, namely, the COVID-19 pandemic, the humanitarian crisis on the border with Belarus, and the influx of Ukrainians fleeing a full-scale Russian invasion were handled. In response to these events, both countries introduced measures aimed at governing human mobility. In this study, drawing on security practices and discourse research, the authors analyse how the governments proceeded from one emergency to another. The analysis explores the interplay between emergency governance, populism, and technocracy, focusing on the concept of “routinisation” – i.e., how temporary emergency responses become permanent governance strategies. While both countries faced similar challenges, their responses diverged, with Poland’s populist government emphasizing militarised border controls and a narrative of protecting sovereignty, and Lithuania adopting a more technocratic approach, striving to maintain the proper functioning of the state. However, the overall difference between these two countries was more modest than it could be presumed; both states converged in their management of the migration emergencies, increasingly normalising restrictive measures. By comparing legislative and discursive strategies, this paper highlights how emergency governance evolved from improvisation to fixed policies, raising questions about the implications for democratic governance and migration policies.