Ihave Europeans prefer an August recess and a coalition government, a half-baked thing European Union project. The euro brought much of the continent into a monetary union, but by failing to install the necessary plumbing, it ended up with endless fragmentation. The single market was a victory for goods like cars and widgets, but not so well for the services that now dominate the economy. Immigration has long been another dying wish -done-Manana policy. Nearly 30 years ago, most of the European Union abolished internal borders. But far too little thought has been given to what to do with external borders — and the hundreds of thousands of people who cross them illegally, year after year. The result is a chaotic asylum system that kills thousands in the Mediterranean every year and fuels the rise of populist politicians. Finally got this working. Of course, no one is unhappy.
Europe is a magnet for immigrants, rich and easily accessible to many from war-torn (or impoverished) parts of Africa and the Middle East. Some migrants who arrive by boat or by land are entitled to asylum because they are fleeing persecution; but more than half of those who arrive are not. Many lands are in societies that do a poor job of integrating previous waves of foreigners, often from past colonies.The system could be friendly: About 4 million Ukrainians flood in European Union A country with few problems. More often it’s dysfunctional, turning an emotionally charged policy arena into one where everyone widely blames it but doesn’t accept it.
As often happens, the tangled European Union and state rules created confusion (which will be familiar to those who recall how state governments eagerly ignored European Union budget austerity before the euro crisis a decade ago). The corollary of the abolition of internal borders in 1995 as part of the Schengen agreement is that immigration failures in one country — such as a porous external border — affect other countries in the passport-free zone.Ensuring that governments properly guard andEuropean Union In some places, migrants entering the EU illegally are processed by the country where they first set foot. This is known as the Dublin Pact, and it places a huge burden on frontline places like Greece and Italy. Countries where most migrants had hoped to settle, such as Sweden or Germany, were able to send migrants who reached them back to where they originally arrived.
This is manageable when the flow is low. But in the 2010s, that number ballooned due to the Arab Spring, the war in Syria and the chaos in Afghanistan.Mediterranean countries ask for their help European Union Neighbor. None are imminent, especially since what is really needed is for countries to agree to take in migrants themselves, except for those whose numbers settled in Germany during the strong immigration wave of 2015-16 by more than 1m. Attempts for a new immigration deal then descended into a bitter row that continues to this day.Several Central European countries simply refuse to accept any asylum seekers, condemning European Union Plans to force mass immigration on a reluctant populace. As a result, the system nearly crashes. Southern countries sometimes do little to intercept migrants, or treat them so badly that northern authorities are reluctant to send them back.one of schengen European UnionA landmark achievement falters: Six countries, including France and Germany, restrict passport-free travel.
Things may now change due to an unexpected deal between the two parties European Union Government on June 8. For the first time, the element of “forced solidarity” will apply. Countries outside the immigration frontline have to take in at least 30,000 asylum seekers a year; those who refuse will have to pay 20,000 euros ($21,600) per migrant European Union fund. This will ease the burden on Italy and other countries.In return, front-line countries will have to set up refugee camps and process asylum claims from some migrants – thus affirming their status as overall border guards European Union, a character they hate. Europe will invest in the root causes of migration.a delegation European Union Leaders including Italy’s Giorgia Meloni have just arrived in Tunisia, promising financial aid in hopes of curbing immigration as the fragile state crumbles.
Why is it suddenly possible to reach an agreement after so many years of bickering?Vit Novotny of the Wilfried Martens Center, a think-tank in Brussels, says this is because European Union Gained experience in dealing with major, emotional crises such as pandemics, the war in Ukraine, and climate change. In a way, we have learned from our past failures, such as providing a way out for countries that refuse to accept immigrants. But the mood around immigration has also shifted. A buoyant labor market means immigrants, legal or otherwise, are needed to staff factories and deliver pizzas.
Barriers to Entry
After showing generosity to Ukrainians, Europeans are happy to give shorter indifference to others from other parts of the world. The proposed migration deal is made possible in part because Europe is more willing than ever to get tough on people arriving on its shores. Some migrants, such as those from countries that are not particularly dangerous, will be turned back after a cursory check of their asylum claims and may eventually be deported to a country far from their own. Human rights groups were not happy.this European Union There is now open talk of denying aid or canceling trade deals with poor countries if they don’t help migrants, for example by taking back failed asylum seekers (currently, less than one in five rejected asylum seekers are successfully deported) .
Immigration is Europe’s Achilles’ heel. A place that sees itself as a force for good in the world hates playing bad cop when it comes to keeping people out, it has to be. But refusing to face up to the dysfunction of the old system does no one any good.Agreement between governments still some way off before becoming a reality European Union Law – hopefully by the end of the year. A working imperfect system will be better than an ineffective bad system. ■
Read more from our European politics columnist Charlemagne:
Albania is no longer a bad Balkan joke (June 8)
Bakhmut and the Spirit of Verdun (June 1)
Europe has escaped Putin’s gas embargo (May 25)
Plus: How the Charlemagne Column Got Its Name
