MIGRANT CRISIS COULD DESTROY THE EU
IN YESTERDAY’S early hours, European leaders finished a marathon round of talks on an issue which threatens the future of the EU – the migrant crisis.
After nine hours of stormy Brussels negotiations, a temporary deal was hammered out.
But even that may not be enough to end the tensions that are shaking the bloc’s foundations.
There are also implications for Brexit. Finding a solution to the crisis has absorbed so much of the EU’s attention, it has left little space for dealing with our departure.
So here are the key questions on Europe’s great divide...
Q Why has the migrant crisis caused such divisions? A Europe is still wrestling with the legacy of 2015 and 2016 when an estimated 2.3million migrants made illegal crossings to reach the EU.
The majority came from wartorn Syria and Afghanistan and arrived in Greece and Italy from across the Mediterranean, or tried to enter through Eastern Europe.
There has also been an increase in the number of migrants from Somalia, Sudan, the Central African Republic and Eritrea.
In an act of humanity which caused major controversy, chancellor Angela Merkel accepted a million refugees into Germany.
The number of migrants making the journeys fell to 204,000 in 2017 and there have been an estimated 47,000 crossings so far this year.
Q If the number is falling, why is it still causing such controversy? A The migration issue has stoked support for right-wing and populist parties. The majority party in Italy’s new ruling coalition are led by Matteo Salvini of the right-wing Northern League party.
He has said Italy will no longer be the EU’s “refugee camp” and has turned away two refugee ships trying to land on Italy’s shores.
Elsewhere, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban has closed his country’s border to the east and branded migrants “poison” and “Muslim invaders”.
Q Why has it caused Angela Merkel such problems? A The German chancellor has been pushed into action by the Christian Social Union, her right-wing coalition partners who are based in Bavaria.
The CSU’s leader and her interior minister Horst Seehofer threatened to close Germany’s southern borders if a solution to the migrant crisis was not found.
Such a move would collapse the coalition and would probably see Merkel ejected from office.
And the issue is not just confined to Germany.
The 1995 Schengen Agreement which lifted border controls in all EU countries except the UK and Ireland is at risk. Austria has said that if Germany imposes border checks it will follow suit. Denmark and Sweden have put temporary controls in place.
A return to borders across Europe threatens the whole concept of the EU and the idea of free movement of people, goods and services.
Q What has been agreed at the EU summit? A To ease the pressure on Greece and Italy, the leaders agreed to share out refugees arriving on EU shores on a “voluntary basis”.
They have also vowed to tighten external border controls, create “controlled centres” inside the EU to process asylum requests, and to share responsibility for migrants rescued at sea.
There will be extra money for Turkey, Morocco and North African countries to help them prevent the migrant exodus.
Heads of state also agreed to review the Dublin Agreement which says migrants must be considered for asylum in the country where they arrive.
Q Will this latest agreement have any effect? A This is a temporary deal and huge differences remain among the EU’s member states. Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic have all said that they will not accept any refugees.
There are no details on how the EU’s external borders will be strengthened, or how the controlled centres will operate, or where they will be based.
Merkel is holding emergency talks with Seehofer tomorrow where she will learn whether the offer is enough to satisfy the CSU and so save the coalition – and her job.