This year, 170,000 migrants have reached the continent, according to the United Nations’ migration agency – with the majority of them crossing the Mediterranean. Such a level is still vastly reduced from the more than 1 million who arrived in 2015. But it is approaching the same level as in 2017, when Europe was only at the beginning of its fortification. The migration surge is most pronounced in Italy, which this year has received almost 100,000 people by sea. Over the prior four years combined, it received 135,000.
“We cannot handle by ourselves a flow that has grown to an unmanageable size,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said recently.
She and her new far-right coalition have latched on to the renewed salience of migration as a problem in Europe. After running on a hard-line platform, they have sought to limit the unloading in Italian ports of migrants rescued by charity vessels. That position is accelerating a clash among European powers – and has had France and Italy trading accusations about moral responsibilities.
Many groups that deal with immigrants see hypocrisy in Europe’s response to people coming from poorer – and less Christian – parts of the world. The flows across the Mediterranean are still tiny compared with the influx this year of 7 million Ukrainians, who’ve been offered automatic legal status and given freedom to choose the E.U. country where they settle.
But European policymakers say there are grounds for differentiating. In contrast with Ukraine, and even with many of the people seeking to get to European shores five or six years ago, more people are now arriving from countries untouched by war. The deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan has been a push factor, and people are still coming from war-torn Syria, but others represent nationalities with low odds of successful asylum claims in Europe.
“We see an increase of nationalities that are probably not in need of international protection,” said Ylva Johansson, the E.U. minister in charge of migration. “This is not a proper way to come to the European Union.”
There are a few broad explanations for why migration might be rising. Diminished pandemic restrictions and fears mean that more people, everywhere, can be on the move. And new economic turmoil in two northern African countries – Egypt and Tunisia – have deepened the pool of people looking for a way out.
Europe is also reckoning with the inherent riskiness of depending on an unstable country to stop migrants along the way.
I think it’s time to build a wall.. Make Europe great again..
Send them all to Poland, UK and France, they are responsible for this.
We’re barely trying.
Few big countries of Europe don’t want to stop immigration numbers from rising*.
We are so done!
What if it is all by design to have workforce to rebuild Ukraine
We have to secure our EU-borders, not the borders between EU countries. And yes, maybe we need a fence for it… but more important money and soldiers.
I am surprised no country is trying to fix the dated UN refugee convention and ECHR laws. People are exploiting its loopholes left and right. Yet there is no action to adapt it based on modern challenges
We will build a wall and we will make Africa pay for that
We can and we must. No failure allowed.
I have no informed opinion on this, but I am not sure the expression “Fortress Europe” is the best
is this a reference to ADF?
Opinion article. Tsk.
I see no problem. By second generation there’s great workforce to use.
Killing Joke playing in the background.
Rising immigration? Good. Won’t this benefit the social security systems throughout Europe? Also, there seems to be a labor shortage everywhere.
This is going to get worse as Africa’s population explodes (as it is projected to) and as climate change worsens.
Europe needs to sort this out tomorrow.
Ok.. now I feel the need… for speed: underground
It feels like it’s written in the genetic code of Europe – getting overrun by barbarian hordes. It was the same with Roman Empire, wasn’t it? It’s different with England, where cultures had to learn to co-exist (and even merge to some extent) even before Romans set foot on this island.
“Fortress Europe” without pushbacks is a lie.
People who are enthusiastic about third world immigration are really eager to claim stopping it is impossible. Zero welfare benefits, only emergency room healtcare and no amnesty would go a long way and save a huge amount of money.
Feels like examples should be made before they enter European waters yes warnings should be given of course but in the end forcing getting in to Europe should not be a possibility and actions should be taken to prevent to even enter. Examples probably need to be made.
The NGO running the rescues should be shutdown.
Getting to Europe is not a right.
We desperately need immigrants to grow our economy , why would we send them away? Make a thorough psychological health check to weed out extreme radicals and let all others come and bring their families with them. They will not steal jobs, they will create new ones and make our economies more competitive. There is a reason the USA is growing faster than us and it’s immigrants.
I think we need to find a solution, where Europe faster can adopt to incoming mass migration, protecting our borders won’t help.
People in need will always find a way and soldier killing immigrants for trying to have a better life will never be a solution… (I know you guys think that would be the solution)
Maybe we could encourage countries, with falling population numbers like Germany, Spain, Italy and Eastern Europe, to get more immigrants.
Also China, Japan, Southkorea, Russia will decline in population numbers in coming years. Immigration could be the solution.
There is no Fortress Europe. There are inviting them in! 💩😂
Not surprising, people want to live in better circumstances or escape something horrific and seek asylum. Also, least fascist and nationalistic thread on r/europe yet again.
There will be a time when Europe needs to close it’s boarders but not yet !
Whatever the solutions are that you guys come up with in the comments, please don’t do what Africa and the Americas did when Europe had its own population boom 200 years ago -Namely nothing.
It led to decimation, exploitation, mass-slavery and the complete destruction of cultures to a point where more than half of the population of said continents no longer speak their native language.
I’ve been saying this since the migrant crisis started all those years ago, but if we were actually interested in ending it, we would be investing *heavily*, both financially and politically, in raising the living standards of African nations – Especially now that the Biden admin. seems to have shown interest in reestablishing diplomatic presence in the continent, it would be the perfect time to collaborate with the US in regards to the issue.
The reason the conversation has been “we should let refugees in” VS. “nobody gets in” is because it’s so easy to politicize, AKA, turn into an ideological, even emotional, issue.
But only the symptoms are discussed, not the causes: nobody talks about what we *should* be doing to make sure people aren’t put in such a desperate situation to begin with.
Call it interventionism, I don’t care: A massive investment into turning many of these nations into vibrant democracies with higher standards of living, and, shit, *hopeful* situations for their citizens, would a) fight back against Chinese influence over the area, b) appeal to the people insisting on reparations, c) make sure to reduce the migrant pressure on our borders, and d) stem one of the main issues that brought the far-right into play to begin with, giving a chance for many opposition parties to regain some sanity.
Ideally, we would be collaborating with the US (and even Japan and/or India) to invest geopolitically and economically in the global south. Huge disparities in standards of living and economic growth are bad for everyone, and mass migration is just one single symptom – independence from neocolonialist practices (such as China’s presence in SE Asia and Africa, and Russia’s influence in the ME), is a front whose reality we’re only waking up to recently.
Create programs to lead high-school and college graduates to volunteer, even offering specialty practice, in focused centers of development in the global south. Like a labour market-focused Erasmus program, since we have an overflowing specialisation labour pool. If you have a degree in a biology or architecture field, for example, you get to make use of your expertise in underdeveloped regions for one year through integrated EU programs to forment education and build infrastructure.
Favour these initiatives as they grant some job experience, which is what is in high demand. With a financial incentive, to help young people start their independence back in Europe. You’re also creating jobs in the region and feeding the local economy.
Diplomatically, you’ll be strengthening ties and combating Chinese & Russian presence.
Economically, you’ll be fighting opening up new venues of commerce.
Ideologically, you’ll be showing the world that Europeans aren’t all just moralists.
29 comments
From Chico Harlan in the Washington Post:
This year, 170,000 migrants have reached the continent, according to the United Nations’ migration agency – with the majority of them crossing the Mediterranean. Such a level is still vastly reduced from the more than 1 million who arrived in 2015. But it is approaching the same level as in 2017, when Europe was only at the beginning of its fortification. The migration surge is most pronounced in Italy, which this year has received almost 100,000 people by sea. Over the prior four years combined, it received 135,000.
“We cannot handle by ourselves a flow that has grown to an unmanageable size,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said recently.
She and her new far-right coalition have latched on to the renewed salience of migration as a problem in Europe. After running on a hard-line platform, they have sought to limit the unloading in Italian ports of migrants rescued by charity vessels. That position is accelerating a clash among European powers – and has had France and Italy trading accusations about moral responsibilities.
Many groups that deal with immigrants see hypocrisy in Europe’s response to people coming from poorer – and less Christian – parts of the world. The flows across the Mediterranean are still tiny compared with the influx this year of 7 million Ukrainians, who’ve been offered automatic legal status and given freedom to choose the E.U. country where they settle.
But European policymakers say there are grounds for differentiating. In contrast with Ukraine, and even with many of the people seeking to get to European shores five or six years ago, more people are now arriving from countries untouched by war. The deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan has been a push factor, and people are still coming from war-torn Syria, but others represent nationalities with low odds of successful asylum claims in Europe.
“We see an increase of nationalities that are probably not in need of international protection,” said Ylva Johansson, the E.U. minister in charge of migration. “This is not a proper way to come to the European Union.”
There are a few broad explanations for why migration might be rising. Diminished pandemic restrictions and fears mean that more people, everywhere, can be on the move. And new economic turmoil in two northern African countries – Egypt and Tunisia – have deepened the pool of people looking for a way out.
Europe is also reckoning with the inherent riskiness of depending on an unstable country to stop migrants along the way.
I think it’s time to build a wall.. Make Europe great again..
Send them all to Poland, UK and France, they are responsible for this.
We’re barely trying.
Few big countries of Europe don’t want to stop immigration numbers from rising*.
We are so done!
What if it is all by design to have workforce to rebuild Ukraine
We have to secure our EU-borders, not the borders between EU countries. And yes, maybe we need a fence for it… but more important money and soldiers.
I am surprised no country is trying to fix the dated UN refugee convention and ECHR laws. People are exploiting its loopholes left and right. Yet there is no action to adapt it based on modern challenges
We will build a wall and we will make Africa pay for that
We can and we must. No failure allowed.
I have no informed opinion on this, but I am not sure the expression “Fortress Europe” is the best
is this a reference to ADF?
Opinion article. Tsk.
I see no problem. By second generation there’s great workforce to use.
Killing Joke playing in the background.
Rising immigration? Good. Won’t this benefit the social security systems throughout Europe? Also, there seems to be a labor shortage everywhere.
This is going to get worse as Africa’s population explodes (as it is projected to) and as climate change worsens.
Europe needs to sort this out tomorrow.
Ok.. now I feel the need… for speed: underground
It feels like it’s written in the genetic code of Europe – getting overrun by barbarian hordes. It was the same with Roman Empire, wasn’t it? It’s different with England, where cultures had to learn to co-exist (and even merge to some extent) even before Romans set foot on this island.
“Fortress Europe” without pushbacks is a lie.
People who are enthusiastic about third world immigration are really eager to claim stopping it is impossible. Zero welfare benefits, only emergency room healtcare and no amnesty would go a long way and save a huge amount of money.
Feels like examples should be made before they enter European waters yes warnings should be given of course but in the end forcing getting in to Europe should not be a possibility and actions should be taken to prevent to even enter. Examples probably need to be made.
The NGO running the rescues should be shutdown.
Getting to Europe is not a right.
We desperately need immigrants to grow our economy , why would we send them away? Make a thorough psychological health check to weed out extreme radicals and let all others come and bring their families with them. They will not steal jobs, they will create new ones and make our economies more competitive. There is a reason the USA is growing faster than us and it’s immigrants.
I think we need to find a solution, where Europe faster can adopt to incoming mass migration, protecting our borders won’t help.
People in need will always find a way and soldier killing immigrants for trying to have a better life will never be a solution… (I know you guys think that would be the solution)
Maybe we could encourage countries, with falling population numbers like Germany, Spain, Italy and Eastern Europe, to get more immigrants.
Also China, Japan, Southkorea, Russia will decline in population numbers in coming years. Immigration could be the solution.
There is no Fortress Europe. There are inviting them in! 💩😂
Not surprising, people want to live in better circumstances or escape something horrific and seek asylum. Also, least fascist and nationalistic thread on r/europe yet again.
There will be a time when Europe needs to close it’s boarders but not yet !
Whatever the solutions are that you guys come up with in the comments, please don’t do what Africa and the Americas did when Europe had its own population boom 200 years ago -Namely nothing.
It led to decimation, exploitation, mass-slavery and the complete destruction of cultures to a point where more than half of the population of said continents no longer speak their native language.
I’ve been saying this since the migrant crisis started all those years ago, but if we were actually interested in ending it, we would be investing *heavily*, both financially and politically, in raising the living standards of African nations – Especially now that the Biden admin. seems to have shown interest in reestablishing diplomatic presence in the continent, it would be the perfect time to collaborate with the US in regards to the issue.
The reason the conversation has been “we should let refugees in” VS. “nobody gets in” is because it’s so easy to politicize, AKA, turn into an ideological, even emotional, issue.
But only the symptoms are discussed, not the causes: nobody talks about what we *should* be doing to make sure people aren’t put in such a desperate situation to begin with.
Call it interventionism, I don’t care: A massive investment into turning many of these nations into vibrant democracies with higher standards of living, and, shit, *hopeful* situations for their citizens, would a) fight back against Chinese influence over the area, b) appeal to the people insisting on reparations, c) make sure to reduce the migrant pressure on our borders, and d) stem one of the main issues that brought the far-right into play to begin with, giving a chance for many opposition parties to regain some sanity.
Ideally, we would be collaborating with the US (and even Japan and/or India) to invest geopolitically and economically in the global south. Huge disparities in standards of living and economic growth are bad for everyone, and mass migration is just one single symptom – independence from neocolonialist practices (such as China’s presence in SE Asia and Africa, and Russia’s influence in the ME), is a front whose reality we’re only waking up to recently.
Create programs to lead high-school and college graduates to volunteer, even offering specialty practice, in focused centers of development in the global south. Like a labour market-focused Erasmus program, since we have an overflowing specialisation labour pool. If you have a degree in a biology or architecture field, for example, you get to make use of your expertise in underdeveloped regions for one year through integrated EU programs to forment education and build infrastructure.
Favour these initiatives as they grant some job experience, which is what is in high demand. With a financial incentive, to help young people start their independence back in Europe. You’re also creating jobs in the region and feeding the local economy.
Diplomatically, you’ll be strengthening ties and combating Chinese & Russian presence.
Economically, you’ll be fighting opening up new venues of commerce.
Ideologically, you’ll be showing the world that Europeans aren’t all just moralists.
Can’t? They’re not even trying.