Europe’s political and business leaders are focussed on stimulating the sluggish economies that have been in decline even before the medical crisis inflicted massive damage. But other slow burning issues can inflict even more long-term damage to the European Union in this decade and beyond. Europe has an identity crisis that is not being addressed by its political leaders.

Europe, the old continent, has had to deal with the migration phenomenon for centuries. In living memory, million fled from the threat of the Nazi regime or the Russian Revolution to survive. Millions of Europeans immigrated to other continents for most of the 20th century because the economic situation in Europe offered them no hope for a decent living.

At the same time, many Eastern Europeans for decades were prevented from seeking refuge in the western part of the continent because the Communist regime built impregnable walls to prevent them from doing so. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 instilled a sense of democratic inevitability in the European psyche. From then on, Europe would be a beacon of freedom, prosperity, and solidarity between peoples of different cultures, beliefs and ethnicity.

The Cold War had lit a spotlight on the status of refugees. The Refugee Convention of 1951 defined a refugee as someone seeking asylum “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion”.

At the same time, imperial powers like France and Britain encouraged immigration from former colonies to boost their economic growth. Other European nations like Germany welcomed migrants from poorer Southern European states like Italy and Turkey but branded immigrants as “guest workers” implying that integration in German society was not a desirable priority.

The refugee crisis that reached its dramatic peak in 2015 has shattered all illusions of European unity and values. Initially many in Germany welcomed almost euphorically the millions of refugees fleeing war, persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Europe was living to its commitment to the values of solidarity and democracy. But a climate of mistrust and fear-mongering soon replaced this constructive euphoria.

The EU is facing a crisis of values

The EU reaction to this mass migration was fragmented at best and chaotic at worst. The initial response was to set up Mare Nostrum, a rescue operation to save the lives at sea of migrants coming from North Africa. Some politicians, including the UK Joyce Anelay, voiced a concern that this type of strategy was a “pull-factor” encouraging refugees to risk a Mediterranean crossing.

Mare Nostrum was replaced by Triton, an operation not of rescuing but simply patrolling the Mediterranean. This shift was the cause of thousands of lives being lost as refugees drowned in their risky voyage to Europe. Human traffickers exploited the EU’s fudged refugee policies by organising escape strategies that could be easily implemented in the context of the ineffective European response to migration.

Many irregular migrants eventually ended up in cities where they intermingled with people from earlier waves. They live in ghettos on the fringes of established European communities. European governments failed to make the necessary adjustments to integrate these migrants in a multicultural society.

Far-right parties in Germany, Spain, Britain and Italy make substantial inroads in national politics. In the 2019 European Parliament election, the surge of right-wing parties seemed to have been controlled. But the European Parliament is hardly the institution that has the ability and power to promote change in Europe.

The European Council remains the powerhouse of decision-making. Despite the introduction of the Schengen Agreement of 1985, EU member states do not want to change the Dublin agreement that requires a refugee may only claim asylum in the country of entry. The rules of the EU require unanimity to alter such agreements. The result is that Southern European states are suffering the worst consequences of uncontrolled migration.

The EU is at a crossroads not only because of its bleak long-term economic prospect. The EU is facing a crisis of values. Many of Europe’s politicians and bureaucrats continue to act as cheerleaders for the EU’s impact on society. The freedom of movement of goods and also the freedom of movement of people is what matters to them.

The old continent has shifted to a retro mode. It has lost a sense of its future. What Europe needs is a more honest discussion about progressive answers to the fundamental problems of an ageing continent that needs the dynamism of organised immigration.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com

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