1. Statement of Issue/Problem The general topic of the EU Summit is reforms on immigration and asylum policy within the EU, specifically regarding the Schengen agreement and the Dublin II Regulation. France, Denmark, and Netherlands propose to alter the Schengen area agreement in order to allow member states a greater amount of control over their national borders in the event of a sudden influx of third country nationals arriving to the country without authorization. Debate over the effectiveness of the Dublin II Regulation has led to the proposal of reforms that would more evenly distribute the amount of asylum seekers across member states in order to relieve the burden that external border countries face under the current policy. As a …show more content…
Sweden also supports most EU efforts to integrate at the EU level and sees common policies as the best way to increase the EU’s standing as a global power (“Major Issues”). Sweden would like to see greater involvement amongst member states in asylum seekers and immigrants as Sweden accepts 5.7 applicants to 1,000 inhabitants compared to 1.3 in Germany (“Asylum”). The proposed reform to redistribute asylum seekers evenly based on a member states’ population would accomplish this. (“Harmonizing”). Sweden has served as one of the leading countries in terms of humanitarian efforts as sees both asylum and enlargement policy as a tool within the EU to promote human rights. Sweden maintains a quota of 1,900 refugees annually, higher than any other member state, and calls for other EU member states to increase their quotas to match based on national population and economic capability (“Major Issues”). New programs to modify and attempt to coordinate immigration policy have been supported by Sweden. The Stockholm Program refocuses EU efforts to combat illegal immigration and provide greater support and assistance of the external border nations such as Italy and Greece (Collett). Sweden’s coordinated-market economy and floating currency have been able to regain strength after the Euro Crisis;
November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall falls amid the thawing of the Cold War. Consequently, an elated Europe welcomed a new ‘borderless’ continent. The Schengen agreements dissolved anachronistic boundaries that once separated nations, allowing peoples, such as the Ruthenians, to exercise a loyalty to the states within their immediate realm of influence, while simultaneously preserving their independent identities. A quarter of a century later the continent is amid a refugee crisis unseen since World War II. Detention, deportation, bureaucratic barriers, military, and satellite technologies have all been a part of the some of the most extensive and aggressive border enforcement programs in history. Endeavors that have stoked xenophobic fears and spawned grievous confrontations between some of the wealthiest nations on earth and a stateless people from the most impoverished.
Shawn Pogatchnik shows how important the fact that so many migrants are trying to flee to Germany and other EU countries by using statistics. Pogatchnik states that the EU countries “...has seen more than 332,000 migrants enter so far this year.” He also says that Germany “...is expecting to take in 800,000 migrants in this year.” When people read the article, they realize that what is going on must be bad enough for hundreds of thousands of people to want to flee their own country to enter another European country.
In the final draft I will expand on each of the issues, by looking into more specific examples of both what different European countries are doing policy wise, as well as what the sentiment is among the refugees in the different areas of Europe. To fully be able to understand the conditions the refugees are facing I will be using other scholars ethnography work; One of those works being Katerina Rozakou’s piece regarding the management of refugees in Greece. As a result of that knowledge I will be able to come to an accurate conclusion as to what course of action should be taken in Europe as a whole, to deal with this ongoing
Freely accepting the migrants would be a much better solution. Moreover, distribution of refugees calculated according to host country population or gross domestic product was a gross simplification and unworkable. Also, possibilities of integration of the migrants in particular countries should be taken into consideration. Equally important is the dialogue of all the 28 EU member countries concerning common solutions for asylum policy. Additionally, the
Thousands and thousands of migrants have begun to flood into the European countries. With immigration numbers higher than ever, these countries have begun to search for solutions. Some countries have considered closing their borders , many are beginning to show violence to keep people out. As always, there is a much better solution other than using violence. The Europe Migration Policy needs to be adjusted to current needs and these countries need to work together to create better opportunities for the immigrants and refugees seeking safety.
Since spring of 2015, more than one million people have immigrated into Europe causing an immigration crisis.The conflicts in Syria Afghanistan, and Iraq, being the main reason immigrants are fleeing into the European countries. The majority of the immigrants have been arriving in Germany, Greece, Italy and Hungary because they are easily accessible. This influx of immigration into Europe has caused overpopulation.Tensions in the European Union have been rising because of this, in September, the ministers of the European Union voted to relocate 160,000 immigrants that had come into Italy and Greece More than 386,000 immigrants came into Hungary last year, Hungary reacted by closing its border to all. Hungary also relocated 54,000 immigrants to deal with the influx of people. Each country has dealt with the immigration crisis in their own way, as people continue to cross the borders into European countries the lawmakers there pass laws limiting their access. (Ehrenfreund,n,pg.) (BBC News,n,
These are issue that the government needs to address in an open discussion with all parties, including the Sweden Democrats. Sweden needs to have more regulations regarding immigration, to make sure that they make it as safe and sustainable as possible. Ending immigration completely, and thereby neglecting refugees who come to Sweden looking for help is not the answer to these problems. Immigrants can also have a positive effect on society, both culturally and economically if we let them. Therefore, Sweden should help as many people as they can afford, independent of religion, race or nationality, and Europe should follow this approach. Together the countries of Europe can help bring these people to safety in a sustainable fashion that secures a state of welfare in the future of Sweden and the rest of the European
The migration crisis has reached a level where Europe must take a stand and must present a viable plan, expressing the future goals the European government believes will help solves this crisis. The International Organization for Migration said, between January and November 2015 more than 750,000 migrants are predicted to arrive in Europe from across the Mediterranean. As a union, Europe is showing the world that they are not a cohesive organization prepared to face the future with respects to the mass migration. The policy concerning migration at the European Union level states that each nation has the right to their own migration policies, while adhering to the European migration institutions, which are not fully established. So far, many of the migrants coming to Europe are settling in Italy and Greece; many hope to be able to reach Germany as their final destination.
To begin with, Finland has the fourth largest intake of any European country in proportionate terms, accepting approximately 27,000 asylum seekers this year. We have done our best so that basic commodities of asylum seekers could be met, establishing more than 70 around the country.
Sweden’s political reaction is both measurable and significant in terms of the incessantly evolving political climate of Europe towards the immigration issue. Since 1989, the Swedes have been asked annually what issues they think are the most important in Sweden
Sweden has had a problem with immigrants ever since it opened its borders around the 2000’s. Free transit between large cities like Copenhagen and Stockholm have created numerous problems involving gang violence, an inactive government, and a growing population of asylum seekers that doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. In 2003 the Öresund Bridge opened, connecting Sweden and Denmark together with no border restrictions ushering in a new era of openness, which quickly ended as problems arose and tension grew. Sweden's solution to the rapid influx of immigrants was to create towns and places for them to live to help them adapt to Swedish culture in a more efficient manner. The problem with this is that they were placing people of all different kinds of religions and ethnicities into the same towns so people of differing views got into altercations. This is where our first problem begins.
Turkey is left with a high number of refugees all to alleviate Greece's burden. Greece, already being in economic turmoil is aided by the deal through its attempts to pay Turkey to keep quiet about retaining an influx of refugees-refugees who are not always kept in the best conditions. A paradox that can be found in the EU-Turkey deal is that the EU tries to promote a certain standard of rights for refugees and supports human rights efforts by the UN, yet the practice of the deal itself is not up to those standards (Collett, 2016). This deal affects the refoulement of refugees by prematurely deciding that anyone who walks through Turkey, which is not a part of the European Union, must return to Turkey. By evoking this part of the deal, the EU is spared having to invest in refugees-a kind of out of sight, out of mind mentality. However, Turkey must accommodate the growing number of asylum seekers and manage its own internal issues. Ultimately this does not discourage people who still try to make it to
Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in a Civil War with protestors against the government and members of the extremist group ISIS, and approximately 7.6 million people have been displaced from their homes (usnews.com 2015). As the conflict destroys more homes and livelihoods each year, an increasing number of civilians have been forced to leave Syria and try to find safety elsewhere. Already a contentious issue, the Syrian refugee crisis has awakened tensions, both economic and social as debate erupts over what to do with the refugees.In response to the crisis, while some countries like Germany have pledged to help the refugees, (New Statesman 2015 1) only 2,340 have been admitted. Clearly, more needs to be done in order to help the refugees. Although there are economic and population concerns to be considered, the humanitarian conflict that faces the refugees and solutions already available are reason enough for Europe to increase the numbers of Syrian refugees allowed in.
The European refugee crisis began in 2015, when a rising number of refugees and migrants made the journey to the European Union (EU) to seek asylum. Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. According to the data that was shown in Business Standard and also confirmed by BBC News, the top ten nations which account for 90% of the sea arrivals in 2015 were: Syria (49%), Afghanistan (21%), Iraq (8%), Eritrea (4%), Pakistan, Nigeria and Somalia (2 %), Sudan, Gambia and Mali (1%). Also the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees confirms that the top three nationalities of refugees are Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi. Of the refugees and migrants arriving in Europe by sea in 2015, 58% were men, 17% women and 25% children. (Wright, 2015). According to Eurostat, EU member states received over 1.2 million first time asylum applications in 2015, 4 countries (Germany, Hungary, Sweden, and Austria) received around two-thirds, while Latvia received a very small part of them.
Stepping up the fight against illegal immigration and zero tolerance for trafficking in human beings