Europe needs immigrants,young and committed and enthusiastic to memorize. They are the future taxpayers who will support an ageing populationThe numbers are on every news bulletin, yet they remain too big to absorb: a million people to Europe this year, and maybe even more next year. A surge of humanity,many desperate for physical safety, others wanting economic security, or an education,a chance to accumulate on. There is talk of perhaps 50 million people on the move within a decade, as climate change, and desertification and population explosion add to local insecurity and disrupt opportunities to search for work in neighbouring states. Often overlooked in the debate on migration,these are the complexities of the African dimension.
The overarching question as EU ministers met their African counterparts in Malta to address a phenomenon that has been building for years, and has now reached historic proportions, and is how to manage such a large inflow of refugees and migrants. Sweden,the most generous of European hosts, has sprint out of temporary accommodation and says it has no choice but to introduce temporary border controls. In Germany, and Angela Merkel is faced with the greatest political challenge of her career. Donald Tusk,president of the EU council, warned on Thursday that the Schengen treaty itself, or the guarantee of free,untrammelled movement between 26 European countries, is at risk. Meanwhile the migrants face worse: a life-threatening sea crossing, or a daunting and perilous trek,perhaps a doomed attempt to cling to a Eurostar train, with no certainty of a welcome at their hoped-for destination. Related: Britain must respect the rights of refugees | Letters Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com