Desislava Dimitrova

Desislava Dimitrova is a graduate in Law (Universidad de Málaga, 2021), Master´s in Law (Universidad de Málaga, 2023) and Master´s in Diplomacy and International Relations (Diplomacy School of Spain, 2025). She is currently a PhD candidate in International Public Law and Constitutional Law and an attorney of the Bar Association of Málaga. She has been a trainee at the Constitutional Court of Spain for a period of a year and a half from November 2023 until May 2025.

She is an alumna of The Hague Academy of International Law and Yuste Foundation, granted with the Scholarship in memory of Maria Teresa Comellas and the Carlos V European awards- Angela Merkel research and mobility grants for European studies, respectively. She was also granted a scholarship for a one-year stay at the historic Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid. Awarded two times for her research, in 2022 and 2024, she has participated in international congresses and seminars held in the Netherlands, Italy, Greece and Spain. As a part of the IUSGÉNESIS working group of the University of Málaga, she has participated in projects funded by the Ministry of Spain and Junta de Andalucía.

Her lines of research include human and fundamental rights of migrants at the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, the Autonomous Cities at the southern border of Spain in Africa.

Research at ODID

This research begins with Spain’s borders at Ceuta and Melilla, the only terrestrial frontier between the European Union (and Schengen) and Africa, where pushbacks, deaths and disappearances have raised major human rights concerns. Its main purpose is to establish a safe migration policy in one of the most difficult and undetermined, yet crucial places: borders. In order to achieve this, the study moves beyond this specific case to examine the broader European trend of externalizing borders in states with different geographical settings and policies.

The United Kingdom emerges as a particularly relevant context. Although geographically distinct, it faces the same challenge: managing migration while respecting human rights. Recent developments, especially the Illegal Migration Act, illustrate a strong shift toward restrictive policies and externalization strategies. These measures attempt to deter irregular arrivals by outsourcing responsibility and limiting access to asylum procedures.

The research asks how such practices are framed by legal doctrine and whether interpretations of international and domestic law could evolve to provide stronger protection. It also explores the role of political discourse and public opinion in shaping migration policy, often in ways that risk undermining human rights. By comparing the UK with other European cases, the project highlights how different geographical contexts can produce similar dilemmas. The goal is to evaluate whether borders can be managed effectively while upholding the basic legal guarantees owed to all individuals.