12-14-2017, 11:43 PM
*** 15-Dec-17 World View -- Despite growing migration crises, European Union bitterly divided over policy
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** European Union continues to face crises regarding migration
****
![[Image: g171214b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g171214b.jpg)
Child migrant in Greek refugee camp (AFP)
After receiving millions of migrants in 2015 from the Mideast and
northern Africa, the European Union implemented some stopgap measures
to control the situation.
Each of these methods has been extremely successful in significantly
reducing the flow of migrants from Turkey and Libya, respectively.
However, in a sense they haven't solved the problem at all, but
instead stretched it out.
Furthermore, with winter approaching, the season of heaviest migration
is ending for now, but there will be a new surge of migration within
just a few months.
Current and approaching problems include the following:
Al-Jazeera and PRI and Amnesty International and EurActiv (20-Oct) and Reuters
****
**** Bitter divisions emerge at EU summit over migration issues
****
With the vast majority of migrants to Europe reaching Greece or Italy
first, these two countries have been overwhelmed. Both countries have
begged for help from the European Commission (EC), but there's been
little help beyond rhetoric.
In 2015, the EU adopted a migrant quota system last year that was
supposed to relocate 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to other
EU countries. The plan fell apart because few countries were willing
to accept their quotas, and Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic,
Poland and Romania refused to resettle any refugees at all. In the
end, only about 30,000 refugees were ever resettled under this plan.
At an EU summit on Thursday that was supposed to be a show of EU
solidarity and unity, especially with the Brexit talks going on. But
bitter political divisions erupted after EU President Donald Tusk
described the refugee quota program as "divisive and ineffective," and
called for it to be replaced.
According to a letter issued by Tusk, the migrant program will once
again reach crisis levels by June of next year:
<QUOTE>"After the unprecedented migratory pressure on its
external border in 2015, the European Union and its Member States
are gradually restoring control. However, the migration challenge
is here to stay for decades, especially due to the demographic
trends in Africa. Despite our efforts, the smugglers are working
energetically to exploit further vulnerabilities at our borders. A
crisis situation can reoccur and so in order to prepare ourselves,
we need to categorically strengthen our migration policy. To
achieve this, we should first look at what has and has not worked
in the past two years. On this basis, we should establish an
effective and sustainable migration policy based on secure
external borders and the prevention of mass arrivals. It also
requires finding a consensus by June 2018 on the internal
dimension of our migration policy, based on the concepts of
responsibility and solidarity."<END QUOTE>
Tusk says the existing quota system has to be scrapped and replaced by
a new system before June 2018. He concludes by saying:
<QUOTE>"On the basis of the discussion, Leaders will return
to these issues with a view to seeking a consensus in June
2018. If there is no solution by then, including on the issue of
mandatory quotas, the President of the European Council will
present a way forward."<END QUOTE>
The quota system has essentially been a fiction, but a fiction that
allowed the EU member countries to pretend to their domestic audience
that the problems had been solved. Germany, Italy and the Netherlands
have led criticism of Tusk's proposal. Greece's prime minister Alexis
Tsipras said that Tusk's comments were "aimless, ill-timed and
pointless." Italy's prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, said, “We will
continue to insist that a commitment on the relocation of refugees is
needed.”
Three countries, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, came out in
favor of Tusk's proposal because they have no intention of
implementing a quota system anyway. In explaining why Poland would
not accept any refugees, Poland's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki
said, "It is worth investing considerable amounts of money in helping
refugees in (regions) they are fleeing from. The help on the ground
there is much more effective."
The Czech Republic's prime minister Andrej Babis, said that "It won't
happen," and any attempt to impose "nonsensical" quotas in a majority
vote would only widen the divisions in the EU.
In response to Hungary's refusal to accept refugees, Dutch prime
minister Mark Rutte has described Hungary's prime minister Viktor
Orbán as ‘shameless’ for refusing to accept any refugees and
attempting to buy off his obligations with money. Guardian (London) and Reuters and Dutch News
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, European Union, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, Libya, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Lesbos,
Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania,
Donald Tusk, Alexis Tsipras, Paolo Gentiloni,
Mateusz Morawiecki, Andrej Babis, Mark Rutte
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- European Union continues to face crises regarding migration
- Bitter divisions emerge at EU summit over migration issues
****
**** European Union continues to face crises regarding migration
****
Child migrant in Greek refugee camp (AFP)
After receiving millions of migrants in 2015 from the Mideast and
northern Africa, the European Union implemented some stopgap measures
to control the situation.
- To control the flow of migrants from Turkey to Greece, across
the Aegean Sea, the EU reached a refugee deal with Turkey in 2016.
Under the agreement, Turkey would patrol its Aegean Sea beaches and
prevent migrants from leaving shore.
- To control the flow of migrants from Libya to Italy, crossing the
Mediterranean Sea, Italy and the EU reached a deal with Libya's
government and numerous local warlords to hold refugees in detention
centers within Libya, rather than allow them to leave shore.
Each of these methods has been extremely successful in significantly
reducing the flow of migrants from Turkey and Libya, respectively.
However, in a sense they haven't solved the problem at all, but
instead stretched it out.
Furthermore, with winter approaching, the season of heaviest migration
is ending for now, but there will be a new surge of migration within
just a few months.
Current and approaching problems include the following:
- The EU-Turkey refugee deal hasn't been 100% effective.
Greece's Lesbos Island alone has seen a massive influx in the last few
months, as many as 100 new arrivals every day. A large proportion are
women and children who require a high level of care. This has
stretched resources to breaking point. The Moria refugee camp on
Lesbos has a capacity of 2,000 people, but is currently holding 6,000
people in extremely squalid, disgusting conditions.
- The EU-Libya deal has produced an enormous backlash. Refugees are
being held in vastly overcrowded detention centers, in extremely
squalid circumstances. The detention centers are so overcrowded that
there has been a revival of a thriving slave trade that had been
thought to have ended in the 1800s. Men, women and children are being
sold at slave auctions for $400-800 apiece, for labor and sex. The EU
is being blamed for this revival of the slave trade.
- The "migrant-smuggling trade" has become big business within the
EU, greater than the arms smuggling trade, drug smuggling trade and
even the human trafficking trade, Europol is actively investigating
some 5,000 organized crime groups operating internationally. The
problem is particularly severe in the Balkan countries, especially
Romania.
Al-Jazeera and PRI and Amnesty International and EurActiv (20-Oct) and Reuters
****
**** Bitter divisions emerge at EU summit over migration issues
****
With the vast majority of migrants to Europe reaching Greece or Italy
first, these two countries have been overwhelmed. Both countries have
begged for help from the European Commission (EC), but there's been
little help beyond rhetoric.
In 2015, the EU adopted a migrant quota system last year that was
supposed to relocate 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to other
EU countries. The plan fell apart because few countries were willing
to accept their quotas, and Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic,
Poland and Romania refused to resettle any refugees at all. In the
end, only about 30,000 refugees were ever resettled under this plan.
At an EU summit on Thursday that was supposed to be a show of EU
solidarity and unity, especially with the Brexit talks going on. But
bitter political divisions erupted after EU President Donald Tusk
described the refugee quota program as "divisive and ineffective," and
called for it to be replaced.
According to a letter issued by Tusk, the migrant program will once
again reach crisis levels by June of next year:
<QUOTE>"After the unprecedented migratory pressure on its
external border in 2015, the European Union and its Member States
are gradually restoring control. However, the migration challenge
is here to stay for decades, especially due to the demographic
trends in Africa. Despite our efforts, the smugglers are working
energetically to exploit further vulnerabilities at our borders. A
crisis situation can reoccur and so in order to prepare ourselves,
we need to categorically strengthen our migration policy. To
achieve this, we should first look at what has and has not worked
in the past two years. On this basis, we should establish an
effective and sustainable migration policy based on secure
external borders and the prevention of mass arrivals. It also
requires finding a consensus by June 2018 on the internal
dimension of our migration policy, based on the concepts of
responsibility and solidarity."<END QUOTE>
Tusk says the existing quota system has to be scrapped and replaced by
a new system before June 2018. He concludes by saying:
<QUOTE>"On the basis of the discussion, Leaders will return
to these issues with a view to seeking a consensus in June
2018. If there is no solution by then, including on the issue of
mandatory quotas, the President of the European Council will
present a way forward."<END QUOTE>
The quota system has essentially been a fiction, but a fiction that
allowed the EU member countries to pretend to their domestic audience
that the problems had been solved. Germany, Italy and the Netherlands
have led criticism of Tusk's proposal. Greece's prime minister Alexis
Tsipras said that Tusk's comments were "aimless, ill-timed and
pointless." Italy's prime minister, Paolo Gentiloni, said, “We will
continue to insist that a commitment on the relocation of refugees is
needed.”
Three countries, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, came out in
favor of Tusk's proposal because they have no intention of
implementing a quota system anyway. In explaining why Poland would
not accept any refugees, Poland's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki
said, "It is worth investing considerable amounts of money in helping
refugees in (regions) they are fleeing from. The help on the ground
there is much more effective."
The Czech Republic's prime minister Andrej Babis, said that "It won't
happen," and any attempt to impose "nonsensical" quotas in a majority
vote would only widen the divisions in the EU.
In response to Hungary's refusal to accept refugees, Dutch prime
minister Mark Rutte has described Hungary's prime minister Viktor
Orbán as ‘shameless’ for refusing to accept any refugees and
attempting to buy off his obligations with money. Guardian (London) and Reuters and Dutch News
Related Articles
- European-African summit calls for end to slavery auctions in Libya (01-Dec-2017)
- Italy is blamed for shocking increase in slave trade in Libya (22-Nov-2017)
- EU countries refuse to help Italy deal with massive refugee crisis (16-Jul-2017)
- Italy begs for help after 12,000 migrants arrive in four days (30-Jun-2017)
- France, Italy have bitter feud over migrants as quota system collapses (16-Jun-2015)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, European Union, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, Libya, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Lesbos,
Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania,
Donald Tusk, Alexis Tsipras, Paolo Gentiloni,
Mateusz Morawiecki, Andrej Babis, Mark Rutte
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
