EU leaders are meeting today [24/9/15] to discuss how best to tackle the
root causes of Europe’s migration crisis. Open Europe’s Stephen Booth and Pawel
Swidlicki argue that the EU’s response so far has been back to front in seeking
to address the symptoms without first agreeing on a long-term strategy. They
conclude that the crisis is multi-faceted with a number of different components
– the acute crisis of the Syrian refugees has compounded the chronic challenges
of asylum seekers from Africa and the Western Balkans. As such it will require a
range of policy responses as opposed to a one-size-fits-all solution.
How has the EU responded to the migration crisis so far?
Over the past few years, the EU has been struggling with a mounting migration crisis on its southern borders. Thousands of people have sought to reach the relative security and prosperity of Europe, many of whom have made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. According to the UNHCR, some 219,000 people made this journey in 2014, up from around 60,000 in 2013, while around 478,000 people have arrived this year already.
In the last few weeks and months the EU’s response to the overwhelming numbers of people arriving has been reactive, un-coordinated and has resulted in stark political divisions. This was illustrated by Germany’s decision to suspend the Dublin system for Syrian refugees, a move widely criticised by other member states for exacerbating the ‘pull factor’ encouraging more people to make the dangerous journey to Europe. The breakdown of the Dublin system – meant to ensure that asylum seekers are registered and their applications processed in the first EU state they enter – has led to some border controls being re-imposed within the normally passport-free Schengen area. Open Europe.
How has the EU responded to the migration crisis so far?
Over the past few years, the EU has been struggling with a mounting migration crisis on its southern borders. Thousands of people have sought to reach the relative security and prosperity of Europe, many of whom have made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. According to the UNHCR, some 219,000 people made this journey in 2014, up from around 60,000 in 2013, while around 478,000 people have arrived this year already.
In the last few weeks and months the EU’s response to the overwhelming numbers of people arriving has been reactive, un-coordinated and has resulted in stark political divisions. This was illustrated by Germany’s decision to suspend the Dublin system for Syrian refugees, a move widely criticised by other member states for exacerbating the ‘pull factor’ encouraging more people to make the dangerous journey to Europe. The breakdown of the Dublin system – meant to ensure that asylum seekers are registered and their applications processed in the first EU state they enter – has led to some border controls being re-imposed within the normally passport-free Schengen area. Open Europe.
