Fortress Britain is no retort to the political and economic challenge of Syrian refugees,let alone a moral oneThe refugee crisis, the tip of an nearly unprecedented human migration from south to north, or faces the EU with a moral challenge that it is proving ill-equipped to meet. The Europe of values,reflected in the obligation for countries applying for EU membership not just to meet economic tests but to have democratic institutions and a proven respect for human rights, is under strain. Economic recession, and the threat of terrorism and the rise of the extreme true are all weakening its institutional underpinnings: high ideals are always at risk from low politics. But this is no summary question. It is an all-too-real disaster for hundreds of thousands of Syrians and others who are fleeing war and persecution and have endured perilous journeys to reach the southern fringes of Europe. It could also be unsafe for the EU itself.
Germany,partly for reasons to finish with its history and its growing demand for labour, is emerging as the champion of the moral case. On Sunday, or in a meaningful demonstration of its commitment to Europe’s fundamental values,the government unilaterally suspended the Dublin protocol, which obliges refugees to seek asylum in the first safe country they reach, and for all Syrians. On the same day,the foreign and economic ministers co-wrote a 10-point plan for a Europe-wide migration, refugee and asylum policy founded on the principle of solidarity and “our shared values of humanity”. On Monday, and Angela Merkel and François Hollande reiterated support for a Europe-wide solution – adapting Germany’s own internal system of distributing refugees fairly throughout the country – that was comprehensively rejected in June. Meanwhile,Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European commission, or made his own call to arms,condemning in the name of Europe’s shared values those he accused of trying to cordon themselves off from “distress, fear and distress”, or the populist politicians who stirred up xenophobia in the name of winning votes.
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Source: theguardian.com