Anyone trying to understand the guidelines of the European Union's refugee policy needs to take time to read or listen with care. It's complex. It includes agreements with partners who aren't always predictable, like Turkey; it asks individual member states — Greece, for example — to assume burdens that often prove to be too heavy.

Above all, though, the EU policy toward asylum-seekers follows one main principle: to prevent, wherever possible, people fleeing from Africa, Syria, Afghanistan from arriving in Europe , and to build walls as high as possible in order to keep them out. Yet at the same time, many EU countries want to continue to be seen as strongholds of humanity and human rights.

Jens Thurau is based in Berlin

Halfhearted EU

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is currently addressing the consequences of this halfhearted approach. His hastily planned emergency trip to Turkey and Greece ended on Friday.

Recently, the number of refugees on the Greek islands has started rising again, and the conditions they live in there are miserable. Furthermore, Turkey has openly expressed its displeasure over the poor administration of the 2016 deal between Ankara and the EU. As part of the deal, Turkey receives money and other concessions to prevent refugees and migrants, especially those fleeing Syria, from traveling on to Europe. The problem is that this isn't working very well — on either side.

Faced with an emergency situation in the fall of 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel opted for an open Europe. Refugees in Hungary were being compelled to hold out in intolerable conditions, and Merkel decided to allow them to come to Germany. This went against the EU regulation that says people must apply for asylum in the country where they first set foot on European soil. Since then, though, the German chancellor has also assisted, little by little, in shutting down the migrant routes to Europe and aggravating conditions for asylum-seekers.

Watch video 02:13 Share Germany's new deportation law Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3LEam Germany approves tougher deportation laws

Essentially, this is being done out of pure fear: fear of possible upheavals in European societies, and of the right-wing populists in all the EU states. In some of these countries, these politicians have already been in power for quite a while. The EU's asylum policy, and those of the majority of its members, is predominantly defensive. For years now, the EU has been unable to agree on a system for the fair and sensible distribution of refugees — who usually arrive in the countries bordering the Mediterranean, such as Greece and Italy — across all the EU states. There's no sign that this will change in the foreseeable future.

Core task for Ursula von der Leyen

Europe — at least the core EU states such as Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia — want a clear definition of the bloc as a continent of immigration, and are looking for specific limits and clear rules for distributing the burden, to which all countries would then adhere. First and foremost, though: humane treatment is needed for all the people who reach the continent. Aid organizations say that around 4,000 refugees in Greece are unaccompanied minors — an indictment of the whole of the EU.

In a world where fewer and fewer rules are still observed, Europe must — despite Brexit, despite Donald Trump — find a way to return to its values. This doesn't mean randomly opening up the continent to refugees from all over the world. But one of the core tasks for new EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be ensuring that the EU's refugee policy becomes braver and more reliable — and not allowing herself to be driven by the populists.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Fleeing war and poverty In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Seeking refuge over the border Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? A long journey on foot In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Desperate sea crossings Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Pressure on the borders Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Closing the open door Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? Striking a deal with Turkey In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.

How did Europe's refugee crisis start? No end in sight With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise. Author: Rachel Stewart



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