Solidarity over Refugees is a key test for European Values

The Commission is planning to propose binding quotas for Member States accepting refugees.  This would be a major break from the Dublin Regulation mind set, where asylum seekers can only apply where they enter the EU – a system that has put intolerable pressures on the Mediterranean countries to the benefit of northern Europe. The Commission plan aims to have an equitable division of refugees, taking into account a Member State’s population, economic situation, employment levels and the number of refugees already accepted by that Member State.

The European Parliament has also called for binding quotas to be put in place to share the influx of refugees more equitably, with a grand coalition of the EPP and S&D backing the motion. The situation highlights not only the moral imperative to act to help those trying to escape desperate circumstances, but also the fundamental tension between the Dublin Regulation’s “common border” approach and the lack of true common policies within the EU on asylum seekers.

Getting agreement on any binding quotas will be an uphill struggle. In the wake of the most recent Mediterranean tragedies, EU ministers failed to agree on 5,000, so the Commission number of 20,000 appears ambitious.  Though the UK, Ireland and Denmark would not be bound by such quotas (they have an “opt-in” in justice and home affairs matters, except for Denmark which has an opt-out), the UK’s new Conservative government was quick to make clear that it won’t accept mandatory quotas and would reject this and any other future Commission plan on quotas. Within the Schengen zone, Hungary has also raised objections. The Commission will have to be creative in balancing Member States’ concerns over sovereignty over borders and immigration while being bold enough to push for a system that will commit Europe to living up to its global responsibilities.

Operation Triton falls far short of our proclaimed values

The recent news that 800 migrants died in the Mediterranean is a tragic reminder that Europe has still failed to come up with a proper plan for the humanitarian crisis taking place on its southern shores.  Lampedusa was supposed to be a wake-up call, alerting us to the scale of the crisis and its human cost.  Every year thousands die crossing the Mediterranean Sea in the hope of finding safety and a better life.  Wars in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Somalia have thrown our neighbourhood into chaos.  While the brunt of the burden is borne by the neighbouring countries, the numbers have exploded, with 3,000 dying in the attempt last year.

In the wake of Lampedusa, the Italian Navy launched its Mare Nostrum mission, patrolling the Mediterranean as both a border security and a humanitarian mission to prevent more death along our shores. The mission was a success, but it was an expensive one for the Italian state to bear in facing what is essentially a European crisis.

The Dublin Regulation system was set in place so that asylum seekers would have to apply for asylum in the EU state that they arrived in.  This was to prevent “forum shopping”, where asylum seekers might try to apply in other Member States. The upshot is that Member States with an external border – such as Italy, Malta and Greece – have borne the brunt of the burden. Indeed, in Greece things have become so bad that their facilities and treatment of asylum seekers has been found to be in breach of human rights. Proposals to share the burden more equitably between the North and the South in Europe have rarely received much sympathy from the Northern Member States.  Operation Triton, an EU mission led by Frontex, the border agency, replaced Mare Nostrum last year.  The EU mission has only a third of the budget of the Italian mission, with 7 boats, 2 planes and 1 helicopter – hardly an adequate patrol for the sea lanes of North Africa. Border patrol and surveillance, rather than search and rescue, is the focus, though as this case shows rescues will be attempted.

There was strong opposition to Triton having the same search and rescue mission as Mare Nostrum. Shockingly, the UK position was that saving lives would make Europe a more attractive destination – effectively arguing that the dangers and death faced by migrants is a good deterrence. It seems that Europe is worryingly content to let its values stop at the border. With thousands dying every year just off our coast, you would think that Triton would be upgraded to a full Mare Nostrum-style mission.

This tragedy must wake the EU up to its humanitarian duty and the need for solidarity within the EU on tackling the crises that drive this migration as well as helping those in need.