ABSTRACT
Conflicts have occurred in various Arab countries bordering the Mediterranean since 2011. Civil wars follow rebellions, involving national citizens of different factions and with wars the migration flows increase.
The European Union and its Member States have been facing the threat of a massive exodus of refugees towards their frontiers and need to give a timely response to these flows. The Member States, for economic and social reasons, tend to apply restrictions and quotas as a means of controlling immigration. However, while acknowledging the importance of these criteria, humanitarian issues should also be taken into consideration.
The principles that should govern migration flows have evolved and been developed throughout history, based on the works of the Escola Peninsular de Direito Natural (Peninsular School of Natural Law), namely by Francisco Vitoria, who, while developing the topic of ius peregrinandi (the right to travel), establishes concepts used in modern international law.
The study that we aim to develop is included within the scope of the History of International Relations and the History of Public International Law and tries to show the importance of the knowledge of the History of Law to help explain the current established tenets of international law, as well as the solutions adopted by the United Nations and the European Union.
