Article published in Cafebabel
What will the future of Europe be? Pat Flied © Flickr
In addition, a common list of safe countries is under elaboration, to determine the priority of each asylum request. Also, the establishment of hotspots to help heavily burdened countries, like Italy and Greece, to cope with the daily flux of refugees has been set up.
On the 26th of January, the Danish government will vote a bill on this matter, which has shown a tremendous internal popularity amongst lawmakers. As for Switzerland, the confiscated money will be used to support the cost of asylum applications. According to POLITICO, Swiss migration authority SEM has explained “If someone leaves voluntarily within seven months this person can get the money back and take it with them. Otherwise the money covers costs they generate.”
After almost five years of proxy war in Syria and the escalation of
the terrorist group ISIS, a
major crisis was triggered in the European Union. Refugees, controlled borders
and disunion are at the centerpiece of the Union. Will Europe be able to uphold
its social and moral values? The Syrian war and the continuous violence in Yemen and
throughout the Middle East have been putting the European Union under
pressure when it comes to principles like solidarity and unanimity.
Both World
Wars and later the Yugoslav wars have displaced countless people, unleashing
a massive flux of migration towards Europe. No immigration wave has ever been
bigger than what we are witnessing nowadays in the old continent.
According to the European Commission, 147,000 migrants arrived in the EU
during the first semester of 2015 and 890,000 others arrived in the course of the second semester,
mostly from Greece and Italy. During this dangerous journey,
many have died at sea while others are exposed to criminal networks of
smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea.
Since the beginning of 2016, records from
the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) estimate that 31,244 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece
by sea. Martin Schulz, the
German President of the European Parliament acknowledged that the threat of terrorism and
the ongoing refugee crisis is testing the EU’s resilience in matters
of solidity and stability. Furthermore, Mr. Schulz admitted: “Nobody knows what
we are facing this year.”
Schengen: on the verge of breaking down?
Besides Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria and France have
temporarily reintroduced border controls with the main purpose of
limiting the influx of refugees. Only France has closed its borders in
connection to security reasons, while the other countries have done so due to
migratory flows.
Meanwhile, Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos characterised
the development of the refugees’ crisis as worse than before. Feelings of
xenophobia are rising amongst EU countries paving a dangerous way to a possible
disintegration – which has already been materialized in the form of walls,
barbed-wired fences and borders’ control.
The Commission is working on a set of measures to
better deal with this galloping crisis. To begin with, the relocation scheme will be reassessed as many countries - mainly the Visegrad
group - have expressed disapproval and unwillingness to participate in the
quota system. The Dublin Regulation, which states that migrants must
request asylum in the first EU country they reach, is on the table for further
review, as most EU delegates have finally admitted the Regulation’s
failure.
In addition, a common list of safe countries is under elaboration, to determine the priority of each asylum request. Also, the establishment of hotspots to help heavily burdened countries, like Italy and Greece, to cope with the daily flux of refugees has been set up.
However, Europe of Freedom and
Direct Democracy MEP Laura Ferrara accused the lack of efficiency of
these “helping points”: “In Italy the hotspots are not working, the
identification process is too slow. People whose asylum requests were rejected
had neither been helped nor accompanied back to the border” she added.
Disunity in the Union
The uproar is still alive and kicking amongst Member
States (and European Economic Area members), and countries like Denmark and Switzerland (EEA)
are prompting international condemnation. At stake is the confiscation of
refugees’ money and jewelry by the authorities in these two host
countries.
On the 26th of January, the Danish government will vote a bill on this matter, which has shown a tremendous internal popularity amongst lawmakers. As for Switzerland, the confiscated money will be used to support the cost of asylum applications. According to POLITICO, Swiss migration authority SEM has explained “If someone leaves voluntarily within seven months this person can get the money back and take it with them. Otherwise the money covers costs they generate.”
Nonetheless, under preparatory phase in the
Parliament is a legislative proposal which resolution aims “to suspend the
obligations of Sweden as a Member State of relocation for the period of one
year”. Sweden's formal request was made at the beginning of December 2015.
Both Sweden and Germany are
the top preferences for the asylum seekers, but while Angela Merkel’s
policies on migration have been rather friendly (at least until the events of
New Year’s Eve in Cologne). Sweden, still bound to relocate over 5000 persons
to its territory, has been trying to slash the refugee’s arrival in the
country.
Even though Merkel has been criticised in Germany for being very
tolerant, the Director of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) William
Lacy Swing has expressed his deep admiration for Merkel with regards to
her solidary and compassionate stance towards refugees.
Overall, the EU has been facing a major existential
challenge since its foundation. With the immigration crisis at its borders, the rise
of Euroscepticism in influential countries such as the UK and France,
and the Greek tragedy threatening to withdraw from the Union, European
leaders have much to worry about.
Still,
the urgent matter now is to deal with the thousands of refugees knocking at our
doors and to find a smooth way of relocating them within the appropriate
conditions. Rows and disputes have been splitting the Union and undermining its
capacity of action; however, all EU Member States have the duty to uphold
Europe’s values and principles. If not Europe, who will help the
refugees?
As
the Gulf States are not taking in any refugees, it is up to Europe,
in cooperation with third parties to guarantee the dignity and welfare of these
human beings running from war and conflict.
