EU needs a coordinated plan for handling migrants

A lack of policy burdens Mediterranean nations, where rescue costs have engendered popular discontent

with lawyers. In Italy, a large backlog inevitably complicates the task of reaching a quality assessment.

Helping migrants find work is another big challenge. They are only 62% as likely to be employed as the average European, according to a study by the EU and the OECD. Integrating them into the labour force requires language and other training. But as a recent paper by the European Commission has shown, such investments can boost growth and, crucially, pay for themselves in the long run. Incentives matter, too. In Denmark, the unemployment-insurance system provided generous wage-replacement payments that lasted for an extended period, leaving recipients with little motivation to join the labour force. Germany, by contrast, calculated benefits based on an individual’s occupational history. Migrants were eligible for only a brief period, giving them ample impetus to get a job.

The German approach has proven more fiscally advantageous. They estimate that migrants, by working and paying taxes, contributed on net an average of 35,500 euros to the government budget over their lifespan. This was much better than the average nativeborn German, who extracted a net 14,000 euros. In Denmark, the opposite was true: Migrants received net transfer payments amounting to 93,300 euros, while native Danes contributed net tax payments of 16,600 euros.

Ultimately, the EU needs a coordinated strategy for handling migrants. In the meantime, there’s a lot that member states can learn from their neighbours.