Can Europe Get Rid Of The Migrant Headache? – OpEd

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A migraine is a headache that happens to people, when the pain is so intense that the individual can think of nothing else except the pain and would desperately look for a way to get rid of it. Like a migraine headache that individuals suffer from, the European Union is now suffering from a migrant headache due to the influx of millions of refugees, that has created huge uncertainty about the future of European Union itself and has disturbed the cohesiveness between the European countries.

Given the gravity of the situation, it is extremely doubtful whether the two day summit taking place in Brussels to discuss the migration issue in European Union will lead to any tangible solution for this severe problem.

Since 2014, more than 1.8 million migrants have entered Europe, mostly from West of Asia and Africa and are now firmly staying in different countries in Europe. Certainly, these migrants who are from different countries with varying culture and different traditional practices, have no intention to go back . If forced to go back, it could lead to a severe law and order problem in Europe.

The migrant inflows into Europe reached peak in 2015-16 due to the thoughtless generosity of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who seem to have thought that Europe should be guided by “values” and should practice multilateralism and not unilateralism. Certainly, German Chancellor has not consulted the other European countries or listen to their views before opening the gates of Germany to thousands of migrants. In the process of opening the gates to Germany, she has opened the gates of Europe to the migrants.

Since the migrants could not be screened properly as they entered Germany / Europe and the governments have no firm and long term policy about rehabilitating them, they are mostly remaining idle now and are creating problems. The situation has now caused huge social tension in Several parts of Europe and cross section of Europeans feel concerned and restless about such unwanted influx of unknown refugees all of a sudden.

Since Chancellor Angela Merkel suspended EU migration rules in 2015 unilaterally to accept migrants to Europe, more than 1.6 million migrants have made their way to Germany.

Certainly, today, Angela Merkel is being accused by most Europeans of having caused a huge migration crisis in Europe and she is blamed for contributing to a historical mistake.

Most of the migrants are reported to be Muslims who are not known to be particular about curtailing the family size and they are likely to multiply at geometrical progression, that would severely disturb the demography of Europe sooner or later and perhaps, sooner than later.

The temporary migrant resettlement system that was formulated in 2015 to distribute the migrants across European Union had not helped in any manner , since many countries in European Union have appropriately refused to meet their quota. Due to the influx of refugees, Spain and Greece have each accepted 12000 to 15000 migrants this year alone. In June,2018, Italy has refused to grant docking permission for a ship that carried 629 migrants. Obviously, Italy’s decision to refuse permission has been due to the fact that more than 600,000 migrants have arrived in Italy from Africa in recent years and it cannot take anymore.

There appear to be no short-term or long-term solution , as the migrants would not go away at any cost. Distributing the migrants in European Union’s 28 countries are unlikely to happen, as most countries in Europe would refuse to entertain the migrants, most of whom do not have particular education or skill and are of doubtful background. Why should any country in EU invite problem for itself?

It would be totally impractical to think that thousands of immigrants can be turned back at the border and forced to leave Europe. European countries just cannot implement such decision.

In all probability, the migrant headache for 28 countries in European Union will not go away anytime soon. Obviously, the entire living style and value system in Europe will undergo basic and drastic changes in the years to come, as these migrants multiply themselves and become permanent entities.

Just like the world blaming Hitler’s Germany for causing War War II, Germany’s Angela Merkel will be blamed for causing havoc in Europe by creating demographic upheaval.

N. S. Venkataraman

N. S. Venkataraman is a trustee with the "Nandini Voice for the Deprived," a not-for-profit organization that aims to highlight the problems of downtrodden and deprived people and support their cause. To promote probity and ethical values in private and public life and to deliberate on socio-economic issues in a dispassionate and objective manner.

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