Refugee Crisis

Crisis begins around 2007, increasing sharply in Million displaced persons globally escalation. Macedonian Policy allows temporary access to Macedonian territory making travel less expensive Syria loosens passport restrictions and increases conscription

Economic Effects of High Refugee Populations Rising rents pushing locals out of the market Increased unemployment and depressed wages Increased price of goods, Increased shortfall in services: water, electricity, health care Economic stagnation, lower tax revenues

Lebanon’s Burden

 2000 Chechnya 325K  1992 Armenia/Azerbaijan 500K  1992 Liberia 640K  1999 Kosov0 863K  1991 Iraq 1.4M  Afghanistan 2.6M

Human Trafficking 26 Billion$ per year as a global trade Smugglers charge an average $3000 per person Use land a sea routes to enter the EU Once inside the EU, smugglers are still employed to access more desirable destinations such UK, Germany, Sweden

 Greece, Italy major points of sea entry  Differing application of migratory policy  Italian Operation Mare Nordstrom rescued 150K refugees over the course of a year  European states deny funding replaced by operation Triton focusing on border control rather than sea rescue.  1600% increase in migrant deaths  April 2015 submit agreed to double operational budget

 The Balkan route  The opening the Macedonian border  Hungary closes border to Serbia, proposes the building of 110 mile long fence

 The new East West divide  Once inside the Schengen, travel is unrestricted, not subject to border controls  Dublin Regulation dictates refugees apply in the EU country of first origins  UK, Sweden and Germany remain popular choices. Employment and state benefits viewed as more likely

 Calais France  Opened 1999  Contains a mix of refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants  I I met PhD students, lorry drivers, government officials, actors, engineers and nurses – all of whom are eager to find work and restart their lives

 Attempts to enter UK through the tunnel or ferry crossings by hiding in trucks or in mass waves  13 deaths this year.  Crossing attempts reduced from 2000 per day to 150

 Migrant vs Refugee  A migrant is a person who makes a conscious choice to leave their country to seek a better life elsewhere.  Refugees are forced to leave their country because they are at risk of, or have experienced persecution.  EU citizens wary of immigration  Economics  Security  National Identity

 Germany and Sweden remain the most firm supporters of refugee resettlement  Turkey offered financial incentives and faster progression to EU membership in exchange for taking on more refugees.  Political backlash is inevitable  Burden sharing

 Reinforce the Joint Operations in the Mediterranean Triton and Poseidon, by increasing the financial resources and the number of assets.  A systematic effort to capture and destroy vessels used by the smugglers.  Deploy teams in Italy and Greece for joint processing of asylum applications;  Member States to ensure fingerprinting of all migrants;  A EU wide voluntary pilot project on resettlement, offering a number of places to persons in need of protection;  Establish a new return programme for rapid return of irregular migrants  Engagement with countries surrounding Libya

 ISIS among them  Jihadist agents actively recruiting among refugee centers  Claims to have 1000s of agents posing as refugees

 Austerity resulting from the 2008 economic crisis still affects many Europeans with unemployment dependent on increasingly scarce government housing and financing.  Immigration viewed as a strain on resources

 Nationalist anti-immigration parties showing stronger appeal  Immigration Paradox: taking jobs and benefits  Multi-culturalism is dead?

Migrant Challenge east