Europe's bourgeoning refugee crisis

By Sumantra Maitra
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, April 28, 2015
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On April 19 more than 800 people died when the boat they were being smuggled in from Africa to Italy capsized in the Mediterranean.



On April 19 more than 800 people died when the boat they were being smuggled in from Africa to Italy capsized in the Mediterranean. Most of these people were refugees, fleeing from Africa and Middle East, especially from the civil wars and persecutions in Syria, Libya, Ethiopia and Mali. This follows another 400 people dying on April 12 in a separate boat accident. In a series of accidents this year, the death toll while crossing the Mediterranean has already surpassed 1600 by the end of April. Authorities across Europe fear that the number will surge over the summer.

READ: Dying to get to Europe

EU member states received over 216,000 applications for asylum last year alone. Europe has seen a phenomenal 43 percent rise in migrants in recent years, and an increase of 75 percent of deaths due to boat accidents in the Mediterranean, according to a report in Time magazine. It is estimated that over 600,000 refugees are waiting on the Libyan coast to cross over to mainland Europe via the island of Lampedusa in Italy, only miles from the North African coast, the shortest distance between Africa and Europe. Last year around 4000 migrants drowned in the sea, perishing on their way to Europe.

The EU seems hopelessly under-prepared to deal with the bourgeoning crisis. Being a bureaucratic behemoth, the EU hastily summoned a conference to discuss this tragedy, as this column is being written. As per EU rules, asylum is applied for in the country which receives the refugees. So far, Italy and Malta are bearing the brunt for being so close to North Africa and the Middle East, while northern European countries are deliberating on the situation. Italy is particularly distressed by the situation, and notably, the Italian navy started an operation called Mare Nostrum, to save refugees from the human trafficking boats and protect the sea lanes and the Italian coast. But burdened with the stagnating economy and limited military resources, Italy asked for help from the European Union. The Mediterranean operation was then taken over by the EU coastal guard services with an operation called Operation Triton, with one third of the budget of the original Italian plan, and operating in a smaller patch of ocean.

The Economist, in its latest cover article blasted the EU's decision, and criticized the lack of empathy in Europe's refugee strategy. Apparently the EU is failing as a continent and as humanity in performing its duties which is showing the failing of the organization, in sheltering stateless people. Arguing the EU is a "force of good," The Economist also expected that the EU decision making bodies would show to the world that they could act fast in a crisis, and implored the rich northern European countries to share more refugee burden from the poorer southern countries which are bearing most of the brunt.

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