The influx of refugees is good for Europe, but its fragile economic situation has direct consequences on the reception of ‘other' people. The EU should revaluate structural deficiencies within its political system
I have been hearing stories about people dying, but me, I will cross it and I will cross it successfully...I know, my lord is with me. He will cross with me. I have made up my mind.” The speaker here is a Nigerian man, Pious who dreams to be in Europe one day. While the world is shaken by heart wrenching pictures of the Syrian toddler washed ashore, Pious remains undeterred. Many like him want to escape from the violence and conflict-stricken countries. They are looking for an asylum in Europe.
Already struggling with the Eurozone crisis, the European Union is in the midst of a serious refugee crisis, the gravity of which is no less. In fact, according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the issue of migration would “preoccupy Europe much, much more than the issue of Greece and the stability of the euro.”
At the outset, it is essential to differentiate between migrants and refugees. While migrants are those who leave their country voluntarily, refugees are forced to leave their country due to fear of persecution. However, they remain asylum-seekers until their claim is definitively evaluated.
Though the EU is facing a migrant crisis, the latest crisis is that of the refugee influx. In fact, this adds to the EU’s problems because it is extremely difficult to differentiate between economic migrants and refugees who use the same means to reach Europe.
large numbers of people from violence and conflict-stricken countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan are seeking asylum in Europe. According to the International Organisation on Migration, over 35,0,000 people have made their way to Europe between January to August and close to 3,000 people have already lost their lives.
EU’s border agency, Frontex has listed out migratory routes for people to enter Europe via land, sea and air. Of the many routes, refugees who have been using the Mediterranean and Western Balkan routes to enter, have become a cause of concern for Europe. People seeking an end to conflict and hardship in their homelands have been travelling from Turkey across the sea to Greece, through Macedonia and Serbia, and then to Hungary.
Though the ultimate destinations in the minds of these people remains Western countries like Germany, they are obligated to apply for asylum in the country of arrival (Dublin III regulation). Passport-free Schengen zone allows them to move internally, once their application is granted. But the duration between seeking and granting of the asylum is large, adding to the burden of these border nations.
Unfortunately, the EU is yet to come up with a joint action plan while dealing with the refugee crisis. Disputes over burden-sharing and a growing public and political backlash expose the inadequacy of the governance structure.
So far only Germany, Austria and Sweden have absorbed a large number of refugees. Germany alone is expecting 8,00,000 asylum applicants this year, more than the entire EU bloc. Though it has suspended the Dublin procedure for Syrian refugees, other EU countries haven’t reacted similarly.
European Union chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker’s appeal to the European countries to share out a wave of refugees crowding in on their frontiers has not been been favourably met by countries like Poland, Hungary, and Denmark. They have resisted calls for the introduction of a quota system to re-distribute asylum seekers.
Ironically, the influx of people is demographically good for an ageing Europe, but its fragile economic situation has had direct consequences for the reception of ‘other’ people coming from conflict-stricken areas.
The Eurozone crisis has led to huge unemployment, especially in the border countries that are also battling with the Eurocrisis. Moreover, most of the people are in the age groups of 18-35, which makes them potential ‘job snatchers’. The Islamic faith of a majority of these people adds to further dilemma because this makes assimilation into Christian values difficult.
local resistance towards the migrants has also led to a rise of Right-wing extremism in Europe. Attacks against the asylum seekers are not uncommon. According to the Interior Ministry of Germany, over 300 attacks on refugee camps have been reported in Germany alone this year. Bodies of 71 people found in an abandoned truck near Vienna reveal the plight of desperate homeless people who fall an easy prey to smugglers in the borders.
All this has led to the popularity of Euroscepticism, who propagate anti-EU, anti-immigration sentiments. Hence, the biggest challenge before the EU remains to retain people’s faith in the integration model.
(The writer is a researcher at the Observer Research Foundation, Delhi)