Europe’s new unity on migration
In the past two years, the European Union has made so much progress on difficult problems – Ukraine’s war refugees, energy security from Russian extortion, and the pandemic – that it has built up a reservoir of trust among its 27 member states. Now the bloc is tapping that heightened harmony to tackle one of its most emotional issues: a wave of migrants into Europe’s southern countries.
On Wednesday, the EU was given a vivid reminder why it must stem the flow of people across the Mediterranean Sea in search of safety or work. A boat carrying hundreds of migrants capsized off the coast of Greece, leaving at least 79 dead. Such tragedies reflect the fact that the number of people risking to take the dangerous voyage has reached a six-year high. Italy has had nearly four times the number of “irregular” arrivals from two years ago, mainly from troubled Tunisia.
On June 8, the EU’s interior ministers reached a surprise agreement on how to divide responsibility for solving the crisis. The southern “front-line” states will need to improve the way they deal with migrants while all states will be obligated to take in at least 30,000 asylum-seekers a year – or else pay a fine of €20,000 ($21,600) per migrant. The money will be used to support the front-line states.
Then on June 11, the EU offered a financial package to Tunisia to stop the smugglers and to rebuild its economy, which has suffered under authoritarian leader Kais Saied. Tunisia has until the end of June to decide whether to take the package, which appears linked to a possible rescue loan from the International Monetary Fund.
In the long run, helping the Middle East and Africa end their conflicts and reduce poverty will be the best solution for migration. Aid from the EU will help. But so will European leaders getting their own house in order. The more trust they build with each other, the more they can be both compassionate and firm with migrants fleeing their countries.
