On 3 October 2013, a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy sank with the loss of over 360 lives. Shortly after the tragedy, the Maltese Prime Minister warned that the Mediterranean was turning into a “cemetery” for migrants, with thousands of people perishing each year during the treacherous crossing.
In September 2014, the International Organization for Migration published a report finding that 2014 had been the deadliest year on record for migrants. Over 3,000 people have drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, with more than 20,000 dead or missing while trying to migrate to Europe since the year 2000.
For facts and figures about migration into and within the EU, have a look at the infographic we’ve put together:
We had a comment sent in from one of our readers, Wiktoria, who was appalled by the number of migrants dying off the coast of Italy:
The image of boats crossing the Mediterranean, sinking and dead bodies in the sea is very shocking. The immigration issue is hugely important and the European Union must have a clear directions on how to deal with it.
We recently put this question to Cécile Kyenge, a recently-elected social democratic Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Kyenge was Italy’s first black cabinet minister, and she campaigns for the rights of migrants in Italy and Europe:
It’s interesting Kyenge would compare immigration from outside Europe with mobility of EU citizens. Often, no distinction is made between EU citizens, immigrants from outside the EU, asylum seekers and refugees. Instead, the debate is often couched as a general public dislike for “foreigners” coming and “stealing” jobs, taking benefits and eroding the social fabric.
We had a comment sent in from Ironworker arguing that he supports controlled immigration, but is frustrated that the debate so often fails to make a distinction between EU mobility and immigration.
We recently put Ironworker’s comment to Dr. Carlos Vargas-Silva, a senior researcher at Oxford University’s Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) and a member of the Migration Observatory team, to see how he would react:
A lot of times when you ask people if they are opposed to migration, they will say “Yes”. In fact, the majority of the population in many countries will say “Yes”. But when you ask them what they are opposed to, essentially they are opposed to asylum seekers. So, while they talk about migration, what they really mean is asylum seekers.
We also put Ironworker’s comment to Ska Keller, a German Green MEP and former candidate for President of the European Commission.
Keller has worked extensively on the issue of migrant rights, and she says it might actually be a positive step to consider EU internal mobility, immigration and asylum all as different parts of the same phenomenon because otherwise solidarity between migrants is eroded and there is a tendency to rank migrants in order of “worthiness” depending on which category they fit into.
She hopes that if more highly-skilled EU citizens working in different Member States considered themselves “migrants” instead of “expats” then they might have more solidarity with immigrants.
We had a comment sent in from Maia talking about the concerns people have in Europe about migrants from other EU countries. She suggested that measures could be brought in to reassure people that EU migrants weren’t abusing welfare systems:
We put this comment to Dr. Carlos Vargas-Silva to see what he thought of Maia’s suggestion. He argued that part of the problem was in agreeing exactly what constituted a so-called “benefit tourist”:
We also put Maia’s suggestion to Ska Keller to see what she would think. How would she react to the idea of a five-year probation period before EU migrants can have access to welfare systems?
Finally, we’ve put together some facts and figures on internal EU migration so people can judge for themselves. One of the most relevant points is that migrant workers from other EU Member States pay more into host country budgets in taxes and social security than they receive in benefits. They also tend to be younger and more economically-active than their host country’s general population.
Are attitudes towards migration hardening in Europe? One year after the Lampedusa tragedy, is the EU doing enough to stop the Mediterranean turning into a “cemetery”? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below, and we’ll take them to policy-makers and experts for their reactions!
IMAGE CREDITS: CC / Flickr – DFID (UK Department for International Development)
223 comments Post a commentcomment
In 2014 alone some 70 000 migrants poured into Europe, who is checking to see how many of them are ISIS linked ex killers ?? No one is .. Europe is being destroyed from within by the EU and its false wars, NATO created these wars in LIbya/Syria/Iraq as a result Europe is flooded.
Nato is us..European countries also. In Lybia people protested against Geddafi. They wanted her help. I am doctoral n NATO- EU relationship
Living in malta. Friends with many lybans…tgey all raised up versus Gaddafi. But the factions own the country and no rule of law is messy..violence every where HENCE PEOPLE FLEE
They are still protesting,because now all of Lybians cannot live in piece Why don’t Nato go back and finish the job.
Alex, you write about migrants as if they are not human. You call them a “flood” that “pour” into Europe (possibly containing murderous terrorists – though you don’t say how many – it could be 100%). There are benefits and challenges when it comes to immigration, and I accept that there are problems, but it’s dangerous to use rhetoric that dehumanises migrants.
Stop Illegal Immigrants!
The solution is to send peoplme who seek to enter the EU illegally straigth back and to imprison all those who organize this illegal traffic in human beings.
definitley not….. :)
This study that EU migrants pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits is both biased and bogus and not as claimed a ‘fact’. The Commission commissioned this report and told the report writers the desired conclusion beforehand.
This socalled study fails to take into account that the jobs they hold were for the most previously held by a local at usually a bit higher wage.
So now an EU migrant has the job and the local has to claim benefits. Those benefits must also be counted as the cost of EU migrantism. And that’s ignoring the increase in crime that it has brought.
The balance is decidedly negative.
I agree Pieter thought,don’t visualize thissituation is in not about being inhuman …. but being stupid
I think one of the main reasons why people from Africa and the Middle East come to Europe is that they think they only need to step on European soil and their life will automaticlally get better, they will be looked after well, so they can start a new life in peace and prosperity. The reality, however, is very different. They realise it when they arrive, after which they protest that the authorities are not providing them with what they believe should have been provided – normal accommodation, money, jobs and dignified human existence. I think that EU should give the right message to potential migrants, inform them about the harsh realities of illigal immigrants, so that they do not consider coming to Europe with false hopes. EU should dispel the idea that it is a heaven through an ongoing information campaign, explaining the most likely fate of illigal migrants – inhuman suffering and death. If more people in Africa knew about this, I don’t think they would trust that easily what the traffickers are telling them. They come because they don’t know the risks. They find out about the dangers on the way, when it is already too late to go back because they have paid large amounts of money to the traffickers, or they feel they will disappoint their families and relatives, if they give up. The hopes of migrants are so high that no difficulty can stop them. This is why EU should focus on an information campaign to prevent people from believing the wrong things about Europe and then taking the wrong decision to give up everything and embark on a dangerous journey which could end with death.
As to refugees from wars, I think all the efforts can be directed towards providing for those who crossed into neighbouring countries, such as Turkey and Lebanon, for example. But help should not merely be sending money to the governments of the accepting countries but actively engaging to help people start a new life, without having the need to relocate to an EU country to receive those things. It is enough to imagine what we would have to face with 1 million refugees and then we might have an idea what is necessary to do. It is much more difficult for such refugees to live in EU due to the cultural and religious differences, so it makes more sense to help them establish in countries that are geographically and culturally closer to them, rather than transferring them to Europe.
As to the problem with legal migration within EU, I think it is mostly related to the Roma gypsies who are not travelling to work but merely to receive higher state benefits in the destination country and to steal from richer European citizens who have more money and belongings available for grabs. Unfortunately, it does not seem that an agreement will soon be reached on how to deal with this problem. Simply sending the Roma back to where they came from is not a solution because the originating countries are also unable to manage their huge Roma populations (again due to cultural differences). What gypsies mostly need is to be taught to value education, honest work and the law. When there are measures to accomplish that, there will be much less problem with ghettos, illegal camps and crime in Europe, and therefore less resentment to internal migration.
Of course, there is also the argument that working migrants are stealing jobs but this is just in terms of not liking the increased competition on the job market. It should be taken as a drive for self-improvement – acquire a new qualification, think of a business idea and become self-employed… It is mainly those who don’t want to change that are not happy with legal foreign workers. I don’t think this is a valid argument against work migration within EU. Life means taking challenges, adapting to changes that require expanding our knowledge and skills, not trying to prevent them!
@Maia Alexandrova:
From personal experience, having spoklen to and been around many people who come to the UK from outside European borders, I know they come, not because as you feel, they dream of an easy life. But, because they have been told by relatives and friends who are already settled just what an easy con it is to take the boat of ‘save me’ I can’t make it in my country.
Once people set up in another environment the odd thing is, they want to bring the old environment with them. That same one they would die to be free of when they take the step to flee. The first thing people do when they feel they have ‘made it’ is contact people from the life they left behind to tell them how wonderfully they have done and the old onion of ‘look at me now, I bet you wish you had what I’ve got’ sets in.
People write or phone their relatives and tell them they too must up and leave their homeland as life where they have settled is so much better. Not only that, those who have fallen on the good times, buy a ticket to go for a home visit and spread the news on what life is like for thenm in Europe and how much assistance you get when you arrive. I can give a clear view of this from my own life experience.
I have a Morrocan aquaintance to whom I have ling chats. I told her I was disenchanted with life in the UK as it had become so Americanised and was driving me mad. The quality of life in the UK had, I said, become so close to the rat race of the sad American I wanted to taste life in Provence, just the way I had seen it in the film, A Good Year. She quickly replied, ‘oh, don’t bother with that, I’ve tried most European States and none are as easy to set up in as the UK. It’s not like that in France. They force you to live in s–t but in London you are given luxury for just showing up.’ She did make me laugh, as gaining welfare had not been my intention. She told me that she simply applied for housing on arrival in Westminster and immediately they put her into a hotel where she had food, board, TV and private shower for nothing more than turning up. She then was advised on how to apply for benefit and was quickly put into the system, which she said, paid her well without asking any information or assurances. She went on to say that after only six months she was written to by the local council offering her a lovely one bedroom flat in a pretty Grade 2 listed building in central London and never looked back. That, she said, you’ll never get in France, ‘They spit on you, there,’ she added.
The outcome was, she bought a ticket to visit family in Morrocco, told them all about it and how life for them would be so much better if they up and left their homeland. Now, they all live in London not too far from her, in top of the line social housing, all receiving UK State benefits. This includes two brothers, one sister and their mother. And guess what, they had clubbed together out of benefit payments and working under the table, not declaring the income to the state, and bought a large house somewhere in Croyden, that they let at a huge rental to cover the mortgage, whilst they continue to draw benefit. You see it is this, and not anything to do with their ‘race’ that is causing resentment among the British people who are paying for it.
And so S.K. playing the race card is rather odd. I wonder if that is how his taxes in Switzerland are being used? And why he feels it is Africans or Asians that are being discriminated against? You see in the UK people from those continents do far better in the ‘hand out’ stakes than the indigenous people who pay for all the benefits other planetary travellers find at their disposal. Those Europeans have to go to the end of the queue and wait in line at the back of that bus because if they dare not speak out for fear of being called ‘racist.’ What a wonderful scam that accusation is. But according to Yasmin, the French are not so generous and as frightened as the others as Paris is a no go area if you want the lap of luxury at anothers expense. Only the British are so very accommodating, I hear. Yes, those same British who have been told by those in their government, that it is Brussels causing our overcrowding plight. It’s not those wingers who sit on their fat rumps in Westminster who love the, ‘feed the world’ mantra they hum from morning until night, no it is the EU pushing it. And those politicians do that because they live off of that gravy train themselves. Hiding under the auspices of ‘fighting the nasty white racists’ that have forced them into the highly paid positions they presently hold of fighting that disgraceful attitude to rid the world of such scum.
S.K. needs to concentrate more on Africa and Asia sorting out why the Corporations that, ‘rob’ the people there are allowed to do so by their governments. Just the way they do here in Europe. Why are giant corporations, and those who work within them at the top, allowed to pay no tax or take it off shore so that the people of those countries being exploited get nothing? Why the leaders of African States pile the billions of pounds and dollars they get in Aid and Assistance from the European, British and American tax paying peoples, who go without themselves to do this, take this money and put it into Swiss bank accounts in their own private names? He, SK, must get off that high horse he is sitting on and work that through that little dilemma. Then ask why his government in Switzerland, who knows all about this fraud taking place, via these African, Asian, South American despots, etc., but allows it to continue. Why do you think that is?
And why is it every time immigration comes up, people on here particularly, rush to the race card and call the tax payers of Europe nasty ‘white bastards.’ Those who do nothing but give their hard earned cash over to keep those Chiefs, no matter the race, in luxury personal, state of the art, private jet planes flying in their faces? Could it be, perhaps, that he is one of them who is peddling this gravy train for himself on some level and doesn’t want it to leak out, thereby reducing him to poverty, like the rest of us?
You’re right. There are well educated Africans (for example engineers), who came to Italy, where they don’t get anything and have to beg on the streets. On the other hand, there are people in Germany, who didn’t got a job but who receive welfare. They doesn’t live the life they imagined, but they also tell to their family and friends: Come to Germany. in this country, you needn’t be terrified of policemen. For most immigrants, this is already a great benefit.
I can only talk about Germany, but here we need urgently apprentices for jobs like baker or cabinetmaker, because most german teenagers want to study after school. We have hundereds of immigrants, who could start an apprenticeship, but there are problems: No home near the enterprise, no graduation,….There isn’t enough money paid by the state, but the cost for hundereds of unemployed immigrants with no chance for a job would be higher. Now members of populist partys say that immigrants would steal jobs or if not, steal the money of the taxpayers. Both is false. Most immigrants don’t have a job because the government doesn’t let them having one.
What you read on migration throught the Eu is usually a total nonsense of facts. Soemthing the strange leaders of our continent feel is good to hide. Why, I don’t know. It would appear to a normal thinking human being that the reeason behind it has to be the destruction of our cultural heritage must be at the back of it. What other reason could there be.
Here are some figures that you will barely read or hear from any politically manipulative source. Take on board that even with this study, they vie away from the reality of cultural disunity, social deterioration in the host countries and the explosion of diseases entering the borders from outside Europe as a result of neglect in the countries of origin.
However, the most important question of all is never asked or answered. Who voted for this mass migration? Why was it deemed necessary? And why are the figures that show it is a failure hidden? And last but not least, how many are we supposed to feed, house educate and cure before a stop is put to the numbers? Anyone want to take a guess?
In this report from Migrationwatch you will see the figures they have that warn us we are not being given a true picture. That migration from 1995 to 2011 has cost the British tax payer £96 Billion. Or, £15 million a day.
The claim that recent EEA migrants had contributed £22 Billion between 2001-2011 is unsoud, or, in other words massaged to mislead the truth, as other calculations make our benefit from this mass movement of people, a big fat Zero.
http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/
When you add up the criminality, effects of different cultural practices being introduced in our schools, hospitals and businesses the entire experiement has been shown to be a disaster to the indigenous citizens. Those who, against the wishes of our peoples, went ahead with this moronic move knowing it was creating discontent and chaos, should be jailed for promoting social disorder and jailed for their crimes against humanity. The humanity that has been forced to foot the bill for this in every level of their lives.
The EU claims that it believes in freedom of movement as a principle of the EU, but in reality one can see that they only believe in freedom of movement for White People inside of Europe. While Europeans enjoy a nice flight to the Caribbean or Asia etc. the Africans etc. have to risk their ass on some old boat to make it to Europe & many die in the ocean, Europe needs to open a legal pathway for these people to come to Europe and then they will use it, this will give Europe control to enforce its laws and to bring order into the movement of peoples into Europe. And certainly the former colonial powers owe it to their former colonies not to close access of people from there to Europe, without Africas riches Europe would be 50-100 years behind in its development, or are you trying to build a Rassenreines Europa like the Nazis?
Bullcrap.A country or a continent in this case is responsibel for the people that life under its wing.The strong eats the weak.So we owe noone nothing.You really believe it was the other way around the chinese or africans or whoever would be like.”oh poor little europeans…”.Been always like this.I agree that there should be legal ways in their countries to ask for asylum for those who are in war zones,but that s it.The quality of life for the Europeans should be the EU only concern,when it s about immigration from outside Europe.Like it is handled in Australia ,USA,Canada and so on…
What is it with people who use the same old trumped up card about european colonial powers exploiting the poor natives, and how hundreds of years later we still owe them. The facts are so called european colonialists were a small elite group of people who usually came from aristocratic backgrounds, were well educated, and used their own money to start up entreparnarial schemes which benefited everyone. There is no comparison with what is happening to europe today, these asylum seekers are poor, and unskilled with nothing to offer our countries, they have an arrogant attitude that the native people of europe owe them a lifestyle, i see my country changing beyond recognition in the last few years I would say europe is being colonised with a new name multiculturism.
What is so surprising about EU protecting its borders!?
There is a difference between protecting borders and preventing people from outside Europe from Immigrating to European countries, these people are risking their lives because they have no other chance and you know this very well so dont play stupid.
The most refugees we have here are from countries NATO has been bombing or their terrorists ISIS.
reason for imigration, how before they living good
The problem is not immigration. Its a natural phenomenon,what we can not allow, is that masses of people with no desire of adapt to the place where they go. With much of them living on benefits and not wanting to have a job. Closed in their ghettos, commiting crimes. Etc, we should allow those who work, adapt themselves, not act against their new country. And it is also not about colour or race. But about that culture being civilized…
Africa is a rich country.we should go and teach these people.
@Alexander Grech – Hi there,
…..do not underestimate Africa! It has ~620 accredited Universities! Any qualified lecturer interested to teach in Africa just need to apply with their CV- simple.
http://www.4icu.org/Africa/
One would assume- (but should demand, if none existing)- that a seasoned and orderly EU administration has by now workable policies/agreements (“a specialist in writing treaties”) by adopting population ‘member needs analyses’ (e.g. labor departments) implemented- to deal with the different types of migration, immigration & temporary trans locations due to wars or natural disasters!
Disorganized & chaotic permanent migration (‘push & pull’) and planned orderly immigration/emigration need to be separated, guided & controlled by sophisticated government due formalities. Employment demand, supply and unemployment need to be sensibly balanced to satisfy the skills & labor need of each member state first and foremost- not to unsettle balanced labor markets and population harmonization achieved through decades/centuries and create unwanted, recklessly more costly unemployment, internal strife or unrest.
One must understand that Europe has no more open spaces in need to be filled by a spur of a ‘survivor of the fittest’ or ‘wild west’ chaotic/criminal mentality adventurism movement. Space has become limited, settled, taken possession off by a now sophisticated hard working and disciplined population.
By ignoring and not implementing effective control & due processes by the authorities, citizens need to increase the pressure to demand reasonable protection of their inherited birthrights as citizens in their own land.
What is your Citizenship?
So, if and when the UK leaves the EU…how do they plan to stop the pakistani, indian and such? Leave the Commonwealth?
@Antonio Pedro Bernarda
Hmmm, your understanding of the Commonwealth leaves a lot to be desired.
If the UK leaves the EU, the UK can choose from EU incontinentalists like YOU, Commonwealth citizens and indeed the RoW regarding jobs, housing etc etc – such an event would be a BIG PLUS for the UK.
The problem with internal EU migration is that some countries have been made members without their economies having been looked at. Unless they are at the same level as the rest of the EU they should not have been allowed to join nor be allowed free movement because search for work and wealth in mass numbers is what has generated disproportionate movement of the population within the EU, which in turns has brought on social issues. In terms of people from outside the EU coming in, I really feel sorry for them and their situation but I do not think that the EU with its current financial problems can support those people and they should be discouraged from coming in. There is also the issue of cultural clash and social problems that come with people from different continents and this should not be underestimated. The EU’s expansion has been conducted in ways that have disadvantaged and disappointed old members that now no longer can identify with the EU culturally or politically.
@ Yvetta:
You are absolutely right.
And this is why the British people are wanting to leave the EU. We have been consistently advised by our politicians that the EU is the reason we cannot stop the flow of unwanted immigration into our borders. They tell us Europe has forced through legislation to do this to our country against the will of the people.
In the last few days the British right wing Tory government have told the people that, if they elect them in May 2015 they will take us out of the Humand Rights Act requirements, which they calim is the reason we are overwhelmed by this massive influx of peoples of the world to our shores. Although if you look at the rest of the Western countries, USA, Australia, Canada and so on, you will see their policies are exactly the same. So, who is behind this in reality and why is the big question. They could not have been ignorant to the outcome of such policies. They are as cognisant as the rest of us who could see this happening over the decades, so they cannot claim lack of knowledge. And, as important people have been letting their feelings known on this issue for at least 60 years. Certainly in the UK with marches and demonstrations. Yet it was ignored.
However, the biggest pretence these leaders of ours, right across Europe are promoting is, why they had this policy in the first place, no matter where it comes from. Who voted for this systematic destruction of our societies and cultures? Why were the citizens not given a referendum on an issue that could devastate their lives the way they feel this has? And more important than any other single issue is, why have we collectively allowed them to get away with it? Yet we continue to go to the ballot box and vote them back into power over us time and time again?
Which is why whatever or whomevet I vote for next May, it will not be for any party or person who has been in government before. The only way to rid us of this deviant group is to vote them all out of power. Otherwise we only have ourselves to blame for the situation we are in. Which is why Nigel Farage and UKIP taking in the old range of political has beens is not a good sign his party really means business.
Although, I am now ready to believe that our ballot boxes are rigged. At least in the UK. And how can that be addressed in a civilised manner?
Hi Catherine, I don’t think that the ballot boxes in the UK are rigged. I think that people are not being given all the facts, they are misinformed and emotionally led and they genuinely do not know what exactly they are voting for. It is a very deep reaching problem involving standard of education, excessive consumption of alcohol, legalisation of drugs etc. The UKIP is using demagoguery to gain its votes but sadly most of the people believe it and don’t even notice that that party has no answers to some basic political issues such as economy, education, health system etc. That party gains votes simply by criticising what has been done by others but will not say what it would do if elected. It is not the only such party Europe-wide. With regards to EU migration in the EU, everybody in the UK is blaming the EU over it. Actually what happened is that the EU admitted Poland even though its economy was not up to standard under the understanding that for 2-3 years Poland would work towards bringing this up to scratch and in the meantime the country would be excluded from free movement of individuals. The UK government alone decided to waver that measure probably because it thought that it needed cheap labour. I genuinely think that decision was down to incompetence rather than part of any sinister plan to destroy British society. But it was not the EU’s fault. It was a decision made locally. To this I must add that culturally there is not really much difference between different EU countries. Perhaps any differences are felt more in the UK because of its insular geography and respective mentality down the decades. But I don’t think that people from anywhere in Europe pose a threat to British society. In addition to this, not all parts of the UK have the exact same culture. I feel that Scotland and Wales feel more Continental than Europe. So, it is all neither here nor there for me to be honest with you. The biggest issue with regards to UK immigration is failure to integrate Muslim immigrants and this has already cost people’s lives with terror attacks. Again I think this is down to incompetence and political correctness having gone wrong. Also, guilt because of a colonial past and some fear in asserting one’s own values and culture, which there is nothing wrong with. Protecting your own values and culture has to be a conscious decision and it was part of the democratic system in ancient Athens. It was very difficult to become an Athenian citizen. If you have the time please read about democracy in ancient Athens and how the system functioned. It wasn’t perfect but certain aspects of it will surprise you. But exiting the EU would be a mistake and would have repercussions on UK economy. There are trade agreements in place at the moment and they would disappear if the UK was not part of the EU. At least some of the business would move away and there would be cultural and political isolation. The answer is to try and change the EU and I think that this is already happening. There will be no expansion in the next 4-5 years and, hopefully, there is going to be a review on other policies as well. Many mistakes have been made in the past few years. But unless integration is completed, and Germany is resisting this, the only other way to go is for the EU to be dismantled completely. It is not the nature of things to remain static. Things have to move in some direction. If they cannot move forward they will move backwards.
@Yvetta
It was not just the economies of candidate EU countries that was overlooked.
Their legal systems were not properly scrutinized, ditto their police forces, their business practices, their political elite…
The EU rush to enlarge has undermined its very foundations.
When you add the intolerance of the ‘incontinents’ toward any treaty changes the EU is heading toward a difficult period…
The solution is to solve poverty in Africa and Asia
@ Marvelous Yakub:
The solution is for Asians and Africans to solve the poverty situation in their own countries, just as Europeans had to over the centuries of their own history. No one can or will solve that problem for them.
Additionally, bankrupting Europe in order to feed the world will only spread the third world poverty to the West. At that point no one will find life sustainable as we will all face destitution, returning us to a life of enslavement.
The solution is not to do one thing at a time, you literally are talking about countries, people, economies and quality of life etc. all at once and you have to tackle them all at once, your position is like saying il give you food but you forget to give shelter and medicine etc., what Africa needs is that European,American etc. companies pay taxes in Africa for the ressources extracted there and the profits of the resources that these companies have generated abroad, and the money must remain on the African continent, but ofcourse Europe,America etc. wont want this because this means another financial crisis for you, bu tit would undoubtedly mean a financial boom for the Africans. Africa needs to become a United Stated of Africa, this will bring peace, stability and cooperation, and it will help save lives, encourage business and investment, building infrastructure, and a big African State would possibly be more effective at fighting corruption with something like a Federal Police like e.g. the FBI.
@S.K
“In its 2013 Africa Progress Report, Equity in Extractives, the Africa Progress Panel urges the international community to promote a global transparency standard, develop a credible and effective response to tax avoidance and evasion, and to tackle money laundering and anonymous shell companies. “
How would you respond to known Swiss connections of money laundering & shell companies? Please google how your honest Swiss based “flexassist” do support the opposite in business! Also, please check the “africaprogresspanel” webpage, how Swiss companies e.g. are involved in the unsavory Nigerian Oil deals.
@EU Reform- Proactive, first off all its nice to know that I have a reputation that seems to preceed me a positive one I hope lol, anyways yes I am Swiss and yes I know very well that some Swiss companies like e.g Glencore have questionable practices, I dont deny this, and i’m sure that your country has companies which have similar if not worse , but I will tell you the worst you can accuse Switzerland of is some tax crap, not torture like the Americans, or illegal wars, assassinations etc., what Moral Apostle country are you from that you want to look down on Switzerland?
@S.K- Hi there,
My response to your ‘morally’ correct call- “companies pay taxes in Africa” ……and than ‘excusing’ your own country’s lapses in business ethics as “some tax crap”, once being exposed and criticized as disingenuous and your comment a contraction- needed a challenge!
By introducing the race card, mixing in the US- which nobody referred to- deflecting your errors referring to “Moral Apostle Country”- adds to aggravation. It is everyone’s choice what to think about Switzerland as a neutral and documented entity- which you are not.
Unfortunately SK, you made another error by assuming ‘your’ opinion is that of Switzerland!
@EU reform- proactive, answer me what country are you from, come on, are you british french what, I want to know what morall apostle country you come from, I know this, if there is such a thinng a s alist of counries that follow international law then Switzerland is in the top ten and most likely far above your country thats probabl why youre not saying what country you are from, maybe you are ahsamed, and another thing, the actions of a private company are exactly that the actions of PRIVATE COMPANIES, Switzerland as a nation cannot be held responsible for the criminal behaviour of some corrupt manager in a company that we have no control over. We dont invade anyone, we dont bomb anyone, we dont assasinate anyones leaders, we dont go looking for WMD that arent there, we dont support terrorists, the worst thing you can accuse Switzerland of is this tax crap and then its not Switzerland as a nation but the private companies which would have to face those allegations for their actions.
@Catherine Benning: It is funny that you don’t see, that Europeans also have solved their problems in the past by migrating to other countries. Especially from England many many people who could be now called economic migrants went to all the places on Earth, America, India etc. etc. So funny that you forget this tiny detail. Migration for various reasons has been always part of the human history and will always be. Dignity and self-worth and connection are basic human needs. Help Europeans as well as migrants fulfill these needs and you will almost find nobody seeking money from the state. There are many jobs and occupational opportunities in Europe, Europeans are not interested in. Germany for exemple has now so many vacancies in firms for training opportunities, also they desperate need personal to help the elder people. Europe isn’t going bankrupt because of the feeding of migrants but because of the greed of it’s own people. It just needs open minds for other cultures, seeing others as fellow human beings and not as strange, dangerous extremists. Also it needs changing Europe from a cold, bureaucratic, moneyhunting place into a place where humans have value.
The most comments here are disgusting, so I’ll follow them. To keep the population in “balance”, for each migrant we’ll send a xenophobic racist to his place. This way perhaps they’ll become better persons. So we might solve two problems!!! ;)
Hi Sir, ………and you are insinuating what?
Although, both xenophobia or racism need to be condemned globally, they have to be separated from normal alien control measures, travel regulations or labor requirements, still controlled by most governments. Are there any countries globally who have no regulations or restrictions- a free for all? If yes, please list them.
@Nikolaos Sotirelis
Hmmm, a tad extreme old chap – fight racism by exterminating voices that do not concur with your world-view or should I say European-view or Western-European view or EU-view or smaller still…
Where do you hail from again?
It’s a bit odd, while Great Britain allow the most radical Islamic religious ideas spreading but looks very concerned regarding romanians and bulgarians, and in the meantime “home grown” masked ISIS terrorists speaking with british accent are slicing innocent people throats in desert. What “emigration” are we talking about ? Obviously something has to be done, but this time hypocrisy is no more an option.
This was the subject of a TV programme a few years back in the UK. And the conclusion that was reached was that people, especially politicians, do not dare express such views towards people of another “race” but feel free to do so towards people of their own race, which in this case is “white” because they don’t want to be branded as racist. This is the sign of political correctness having gone mad, in my opinion. There is nothing racist about saying it openly that Islam is not compatible with Western values, as it is not a race but a religion and it is at odds with European values and most people feel threatened by it than by sausage-eating Poles. There is lack of honesty in the wider debate.
07/02/2018 Jean-Philippe Turpin, Director of the French NGO La Cimade’s Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers in Béziers, has responded to this comment.
07/02/2018 Renaud Camus, controversial French writer and author of the “Great Replacement”, has responded to this comment.
@Yvetta
I agree that the PC brigade has stifled political debate.
Indeed, the EU elite use PC doctrine as a means to suppress legitimate concerns about its highly flawed and unfair treaties.
Even Goebbels would be surprised by the efficacy of such a warped propagandist ethos.
@Yvetta
I used to live near the most Islamic dense area in the States, Dearborn, Michigan, but I never encounter muslim people with extremist religious views in such numbers coming or residing from/in UK. Hmmm, I’m quite intrigued by that. It’s like providing on my expenses to some asylum seekers shelter and having my kids killed by their kids in return. For me this is beyond comprehension.
Ironworker, I genuinely think that the UK has failed to integrate the immigrant communities, who are no longer immigrants but the young generation was born and bred in the UK. There is also a lot of gang culture, which has nothing to do with religion, but is once again showing failure to integrate. I would say that the wrong approach was taken by politicians and policy-makers or perhaps more people were allowed in than the state had the capacity to absorb. Where I come from there has been very little immigration but the majority of the immigrants are married to local women and their kids are half and half. It was a bit strange for me to see here in the UK people immigrating and then sticking with their own people and even isolating themselves from the society they live in and growing hostile towards it…
It should be like that. They are human but are illegals
These NGOs are making a killing.
Just making a note……a lot of People on Malta are saying stop immigrants, however, many other countries have Maltese immigrants…
Stop illegal immigration. Since last tragedy there have been more than 3000 deaths in the mediterranean. .. 150.000 have been saved by italian navy, but the more you save the more they come the more they die. EU is absolutely unhelpful. EU IS THE PROBLEM !! Let’s get rid of this nightmare! !
The EU helps Italy to get rid of some immigrants. In Bavaria, the conservative party wanted to close the borders to Austria, because they were terrified of immigrants, who were sat into trains by italin authorities. Without the EU, Italy would not have any chance to let their immigrants travel (which is against the Dublin treaty). Furthermore, there would not be any Frontex, paid my the memberstates, which protects the Italian borders.
There is no good short-term solution! There are 1 Billion people in Africa.
EU should support and boost democracy in Africa so their people would have hope for them and their families and stay in their countries working together with their families and friends to develop their homes without being stepped back by their own governments.
yes but they are doing exactly the contrary Jos! why? they are not stupid so we can understand why!
There is a short term solution. The EUROPEAN UNIVERSAL TOURIST VISA… anybody in the world should have the right to come an visit Europe, even if in his country they have no pasports or Identification Cards… Anybody should be able to come as a turist for the period of 3 or 6 month. If necessary we can make a identification card for them at the borders and a medical check. The protocol for expulsion can be discussed whith himself. This would solve most of the problems of illegai imigration. But also would afect to the economic benefits of some companies, like agriculture, mineri in third countries, salaires in third countries etc… this is why they prefer to let them die in the Mediterranean Sea!…
@Jaume Roqueta
Hmmm, I think your idea needs a bit of re-work. Where would all the Poles, Bulgarians and Romanians go when Indians, Nigerians and Chinese under-price and over-deliver for same?
Stop destroying Northern Africa!
I’m a immigrant, but I’m against this kind of immigration.( call me hypocrite if u want)
But I had to work hard to be here today.
I didnt just jump in the damn boat and hoped for the best.
I had to spend a lot of money and time to get here.
@S.K – & other interested parties- in response to “fortress Europe- (Switzerland!”)
We are compelled to comply with our Masters voice & not wander “off topic”- “their theme”- is the “EU turning into “fortress Europe?” The DILEMMA remains:
The EU consists of 28 member states, the ‘Council of Europe’ has 47 members, EUROPE has “approximately 50 UN approved countries”.
Therefore, the EU can only turn into “fortress EU” & nothing else! Such countries however- could and might be busy thinking about fortresses in defense of lost and given away competences etc. Take e.g. the worlds most envied and by S.K promoted country in EUROPE- Switzerland:
*Swiss physical defense barriers:
The Swiss have fortified structures- “REDOUBT/REDUIT”/CITADELS- forming a defensible perimeter on the alpine mountaintops- as a last final stand in case of war. During the cold war, the Swiss even contemplated to build a nuclear bomb- which was however swapped by signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Resident foreigners make up 23.3% of their population. They also ‘cherry picked’ and received accession to the Schengen passport-free zone & more.
*Swiss immigration defense barrier:
BUT- on 9 February 2014, Swiss voters narrowly approved by 50.3% a ballot initiative launched by the national conservative Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC) to restrict immigration, and thus reintroducing a quota system on the influx of foreigners using “Direct democracy”!
How different is the wish expressed by an official Swiss majority to a Rosemarie Marcopouliotou’s simple, personal & unofficial expression of frustration, being swamped by aliens in her motherland?
Where is the difference and why is the Swiss referendum not racist, but Rosemarie’s expressed frustrations is racist? Could the difference be found in the judge’s (S.K) effected opinion due to unknown circumstances?
@EU reform- proactive, people envy those who have a better quality of life, thats why the guy in the ferrari will always be envied, thats why the man with the power with always be envied, many want what they have even if they dont admit it. Switzerland has one of the best public transportation systems in the world, we have healthcare for everybody in the nation even asylum seekers we have the best quality food, we have clean streets, we have a great infrastructure and we have a level of security that many would envy, so yes Switzerland would & probably should be envied, if you want to know how to do something then find out how the Swiss are doing it, chances are if you copy us youl get it right and be successful as well. PART 2 you talk about the old fortified Redouit Bunkers, now you listen to me what you are talking is complete GARBAGE and I could notice in your writing that you didnt even really know what you were talking about, you probably googled this and wanted to put it in some bad light as a means to attack my country well you failed miserably, every country as old as Switzerland would have old defence bunkers, this is perfectly normal, there are even forts and castles in Switzerland that are hundreds of years old which were for defence back in their time but I dont see you mentioning that for ovbious reasons, so yes these reduit bunkers exist but they are bascically antiques and they are not currently part of our defence strategy, if they were part of our defence then this would be a state secret and you would not be able to find our State secrets on google! PART3 you claim we cherry picked something e.g schengen, now you listen to me just because ignorant EU types keep repeating this over and over doesnt make it more true or even if it is true that doesnt make it a bad thing, the job of a nations leaders is to go and get the best for their country & their people and if you want to call that cherry picking then GO AHEAD, we dont care, and dont forget that we pay over 1 billion Euros to new EU member states(a direct democratic decision!) to help them modernize their infrastructure, we are not a EU member but yet we do this for you!!! You EU people surely enjoy those Swiss cherries! And there are many other things that we do for you which you take for granted, but thats ok, you see we swiss have no need for getting our asses kissed or getting a pat on the back, this need for constant recognition and showing off seems to be very much a EU thing. PART4 You just confirmed something that I have been saying for a long time, every year you people pick 1 thing that we vote on out of many to to then come and say Direct Democracy is good or bad etc., we vote on so many things regurlarly that never make it on your news, I voted on a Stadium but I dont see BBC or RTL etc. debating the pros and contras of this decision, the immigration Initiative that you are talking about is known as the MEI initiative but I dont expect googling pseudo geniuses like you to know this, this initiative demands that Switzerland takes back the right to decide who can and cannot come to Switzerland, something which the EU decides for us today, this democratic decision says that a Sovereign state must have the right to decide who it lets in and who it doesn’t, you dont have to like this or to find it good but it is the will of the majroity of the voters that made a democratic decision to do things this way, and this vote was not anti foreigner even though the inernation press portayd it this way, a diplomat even said that these demands were actually what Switzerland had originally demanded from the EU in the 90’s, but the EU said no and the pro EU membership Swiss government backed away from this demand, (for your info a major swiss newspaper said that 85% of Swiss are against EU membership!) no one said like Rosmemarie ” I WANT HEM ALL OUT” , e.g Canada lets in people that bring thing to Canada and thats what we Swiss want as well, to compare this vote with Rosemaries racist comment ”I WANT THEM ALL OUT” shows just how little you know about our democracy, I bet you didnt know that to even have a vote saying that ALL foreigners should be deported would be illegal in Switzerland, I bet you didnt know this, you think we can decide anything we want like a bunch of dictators, WE HAVE RULES, there will no slavery votes, there will be no genocidal things voted on, and saying all foreigners should go would fit that category of things that are unacceptable.
PART5 In closing, I whish you would change your stupid name to something more simple to write when someome responds, instead of calling yourself EU reform blah blah, the EU doesnt want to be reformed anyways and you know this, it is this way by design!!!! Il call you Hermann after your pin up boy Van Rompuy aka the damp rag.
Regards S.K
Thanks SK for a gallant effort! I think I had enough ‘fortress fun’ with you and add your insightful self defense response’ to numero 3:
*Swiss personal defense barrier: 1out of ~8 mio? I might even be Swiss?
@S.K – “p-corrected & resubmitted,
S.K, by referring to “Rosemarie’s” general but ‘undefined’ and- “hotly debated comment”- all- in the meantime removed as pc-incorrect, (the “thumps up” counter reset from ~560 to zero)- contributing to uncomfortable commotion on the comment page! Surely, a disservice to an otherwise “non interference policy” loving Switzerland!
Aren’t there other ghosts hidden behind your high mountains- like:
* the ~600k hash and marijuana users- consuming ~100 ton/year or ~7.5% of the total population?
* Woman in ‘emancipated’ Switzerland being kept political immature- receiving the vote at federal level only in 1971?
* “Confoederatio Helvetica”, never having imposed sanctions against South Africa, there are however increasing calls by NGOs, such as Jubilee 2000, for Swiss companies to pay compensation to the victims of Apartheid?
HR-justice against Swiss businesses might level matters, once they are asked to settle the score card?
People without hope, people desperate, people starving, people threatened by horror, start a course to the dream, crossing paths, mountains, rivers, minefields, deserts, seas.
On the way to their Promise Land, they lose their friends, their companions, their children, even their limbs, sometimes.
If and when they manage to reach to their hopeland, instead of hope they find fear. Instead of care, hostility. Instead of solidarity, hate. Instead of a dream, a nightmare.
Give these people a chance to hope. Provide them with travel documents and labour licence. Abolish shameful Dublin II Treaty.
After all, western world is living at the expense of the third world, for centuries. It isn’t a favor! It’s a debt!
“After all, western world is living at the expense of the third world, for centuries. It isn’t a favor! It’s a debt!”
Considering the UK is the second highest contributor to overseas aid after the US we are already paying a hell of a lot more than most countries to help 3rd world suffering
Maybe all the other EU countries should put some more money where there mouth is and help these people in their own countries as that’s the only way you will ever get them to stay put
Or you just abort all of this and make them go into a EU embassy in a home country and when they get accepted,they just sit into a plane and fly to their destination.Simple as that
PS oh for centuries for centuries…Who f****ng cares?! I was born in 1991 and not in 17 century ,so I don t owe anything to nobody.It s about MY quality of live and that of future generations of my family.At that point I m egoistic.Asylum is a favor that we westerners in our merciness grate to other people.I m pro asyl and for immigration that boosts our economies ,like the Canadian,Australian,Americans used to have it.
Agree compleately with you @Nikolaos Sotirelis. A fortress Europe is not the dream I had for Europe. I wanted Europe to be a place of humanity, solidarity and hope and those days it is exactly the opposite. Every European should look inside his family tree and see, how many members of his family have migrated and setteled in other countries. After this, we all should come and think together, what kind of place we want to be this Europe. Is this cold, inhuman Europe the thing we want it to be? Also think, that there was almost no fortress in history that was not conquered one day.
??????????
What many don’t seem to realize, or maybe don’t want to realize, is that our disproportional wealth depends on others disproportional poverty.
Considering that resources are finite, it would require anywhere from 2 to 3 planets worth of resources if the whole world lived the way we in the western world do.
Can anyone see the problem here? In order to have a structural solution to sustained poverty in Africa, the western world would need to go through a significant reduction in wealth.
Most who advocate more aid would likely not accept a significant reduction in their own wealth. And why does aid exist anyway, to help Africa?
The correct answer is that aid exists to keep most Africans at subsistence levels, to prevent famines but not much more than that.
And the IMF exists to help western countries and corporations essentially loot Africa’s resources. Why is it that Liberia, which is extremely resource rich, has one of the lowest GDP per capita?
The answer is we pay (bribe) the local policians to sign their resources over to us for for cents on the euro/dollar. A small local elite benefits, we benefit but the ordinary people over there do not.
How much are you prepared to give up in order to enable more structural wealth to be built up in Africa, to benefit them rather than us? Not all that much, most people will likely say, myself included.
I’ve always believed development aid is a neo-colonialist thing, because it isn’t intended to really improve anything, rather to preserve the status quo from which we benefit.
Another reason is all those super-artificial borders created by British and French colonialists. Most of the countries created out of their colonial legacy are not nations and never will be. See Sudan, Mali, Central African Republic, Iraq and Syria for a few examples of the colonial divide and rule mentality.
It sho?ld be yes.
Dear participants, a kind reminder of our code of conduct:
We do not tolerate hate speech in any form and we would ask you to remain polite during your exchanges of points of view.
Enough is enough, they should try to solve the problem in their land, we had and we have our hard times here and we managed and worked to do better, ask for help in your country, europe should be closed, as the rest of the world is closed also to us.
I have not anti-immigrant but advogate reforms of the immigration system in europe federalist political space there is not right of European citizens have to live within a democratic European system unbalanced Wakes Brussels
E.U. can not absorve all misery of the world
@ Pier Dal Ri … the rest of the world is closed to us????…. Kenyatta Jomo: ?When the Missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and the Missionaries had the Bible. They taught how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible.?!!!… the Missionaries and unfortunately not only them, are still there, benefiting on their expense and on our favor!
Pier Dla Ri.. maybe it helps to solve the problems in their land if we stop sending our corporates to take their lands and products… do you know Africa is sending more food to EU than EU to Africa?… do you know where the petrol comes from?… what do you think our armies are doning there? helping to rescue cats from the trees?… come on… WE need a Free tourist visa fore everyone in the world… if you want to come to Europe as a tursist! come!… even in your country you dont have any pasport!.
I am one of the 13,6 millions. I left Greece to Cyprus.
Debating Europe
we don’t need ‘fortress Europe’, we need to end the idiotic free movement of people across Europe to Great Britain.
‘In the European Union, free movement of people means someone unknowingly infected with Ebola could easily drive through several neighbouring countries before feeling ill and seeking help, and spend weeks in contact with friends or strangers before becoming sick enough to show up on airport scanners.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29514920
@ Ivan Brurrows:
We certainly do need fortress Europe and the fact that this has not already been put into practice highlights what I wrote a few weeks ago on this matter. So, if the people of Europe want to protect themsleves, as best they can without their governments assistance, the very best and in fact, only way, is to stop using flights to and from any part of the world that has the disease or has a connection service to those countries. Including private flights. Which in essence means, stop flying and let the airlines crash. Take any measure to protect yourself and your family regardless of your business commitments. And forget holidays as they may be your last. The peoples carrying this disease have no concern regarding its spread or contagiousness. The man who flew into the US with it did so knowing he was a carrier. His only concern, which is human nature after all, is that he got himself into a country where he would be treated with utmost care. And instead of sending him straight back by private aircraft, they are giving him state of the art treatment. Even though he has possibly infected 77 people. And that those who may have contracted it from him, including American children, may also have infected 77 more.
If you believe for one minute that our UK government are telling the whole truth on Ebola in our own country, then you are naive. We have hundreds of illegals in our country, do you honestly believe not one of them carries this deadly disease and that they are not being hidden some way or another by either family or friends?
Alernatively, the nurse that was returned to the UK with Ebola and placed in central London Royal Free hospital didn’t, in some way, infect others that have been silenced. The UK is one of the very best secret hiders on the planet. Fears of panic, or, some kind of vendetta has curbed them. Spain and the US have had the gall to be honest, although how honest is another matter. They did nothing to keep it out of their country and away from theith population. They protect animals from Rabies better than us from dire illnesses. You only have to take a look at AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as many others to know that. Antoher PC fiasco if ever there was one.
However, the truth is this, governments of us all have been willing to put every one of us, men women and children at risk of this horrendous illness rather than close our borders, all because of the madness of PC criminals who refuse to protect us from the insurgence of the third world and the collusion in a ‘race’ mantra. And this set of politicians have been at it for years, assured that they will not be part of the epidemic.
You read it on here. The indoctrination of a guilt complex regarding a history of colonialism, which mankind through the ages, of all races and creeds have used indiscriminately and is now raging like a forest fire, whilst you suck on it in total ignorance. If it wasn’t so deadly to us all it would be humorous.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2783332/Husband-Spanish-nurse-contracted-Ebola-quarantine-health-authorities-admit-DON-T-KNOW-contracted-virus.html#comments
Lets see what move they take once their own or themsleves are at severe risk. What they are not reckoning on is, their servants of one kind or another, from outside our borders and used by the agencies or middle men they apply to for assistance, will have no scruples about where they send them in order to fill their bank accounts with their, or, rather, our money. We are already rife with this disease lying in wait all over Europe. The UK being the most likely to spread it rampantly due to our commonwelath connections and treasonous leaders who refuse to protect us at all. Even to a pretence at it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2783332/Husband-Spanish-nurse-contracted-Ebola-quarantine-health-authorities-admit-DON-T-KNOW-contracted-virus.html#comments
there is a worldwide solution but no one wants it!
@DEBATING EUROPE
It appears that your moderator’s command of English does NOT extend to the concept of irony.
Ha you must be sh***ing us.You really asking ska keller about that topic?Same way you could ask the pope about abortion^^
The only fact,why this people are comming here is that they know ,that they will be accepted in the EU if they only get on european soil.
The only chance would be to send EVERYONE back who comes here by boat ,so that all the people in Africa know that it is useless to try it that way.
Instead we should just give them a legal possibility to get asylum bye going to european embassys and ask it there.
That way the people wouldn t die trying to get to europe…
Yes, you are right Alex. And yesterday in the UK the new man Nigel Farage has added to his crew of ‘lets sort out immigration team’ said, we must be fair on immigration and keep ‘our doors open to the worthy.’ This was after he was voted in to put a stop to it, worthy or not, as his top policy.
If Nigel isn’t careful he will find, to his horror, he has absorbed a team of Conservative and Labour trojan horses, out to ruin his chances of election. There is no point at all in electing another party who has filled itself with the previous team who has brought us to the ruin we see. Get a little more savvy Nigel and stick to your original mantra on immigration as well as ridding us of the PC politics that are changing our country into a third world mad house. Otherwise you will be reneging on the deal you are making with those who are putting their trust in you by giving you their vote.
Be warned, they in the already twisted parties of universal government, are working to dismantle your attractiveness as they are well aware of why the people are turning to you in their despair. And that is the last thing they are going to allow you to correct because they are a sneaky bunch of traitorous brainwashed robots. Look how they worked on you with the gay marriage issue. And this new guy, Carswell, is one to watch closely. He is a stalking horse with his eye on power. His first statement was to water down your principles. Is this what you want? I don’t think so if you are looking to reach the seat of real power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJYlsBq7rmA
His next speech was all change.
Why we need fortress Europe is to enable Europeans to return to what is in their best interests, which is protecting themselves, The same way those who are running this show know how to protect their self interest. And the people of the UK have decided this is what they are going to do, with or without the European people beside them. We Brits, whether you realise it or not, are once again going to save your arses from destitution. And although Nigel Farage doesn’t realise it, he is the tool we will use to do it. Although, of course, we would prefer Europe was by our collective sides as it was all those decades ago.
We are stuck in a circle of mediocrity with our present leaders. As every one of them dances to the same tune, just as they are doing in the UK. What we have across the Western world is a state of one political party, no matter what they call themselves. The people of the US, the people of the UK and all of Europe are following pied pipers leading us over a cliff. And they have the gall to tell us as they are doing it, ‘as it is good for us and as they like to so often tell us, in our best interests.’ Just like filling us with warfarin would be.
Look at all the parties who hold themselves up as the tomorrow people. Do you see any difference in any one of them? What are they offering? And this guy who was elected as a UKIP candidate MP, as soon as the count was over, begun to spout the same crap we hear from the others. The US mantra of Globalisation. And this is why we need fortress Europe to save us from that and from the killer proposal called the ‘transatlantic trade agreement. ‘Every man woman and child needs to take on a Hong Kong Chinese style gesture and take over whole areas of London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Vienna, Athens and on and on, never vacating the area as a rule of the people, via a form of shift workers, like those who keep hospitals going 24/7. Our way of life, our culture and our children’s lives depend on it. For democracy has been virtually taken from us, and it is being chipped away systematically until we will have nothing of it left in our future.
In my country, the political parties are no longer the parties they claim to be. New Labour are not Labour, that is the first thing any real Labour supporter needs to recognise.
It isn’t their leader Ed Miliband’s personal failings at not being able to eat a sandwich with preferred etiquette, or, his general unflattering image that has lost support for his New Labour party, it’s the policies they, through him, are pushing at the electorate.
He has taken along with him and surrounded himself with Blairite New Labour shadow cabinet members who intend to continue with austerity. Which means, attacking the jobless, the poor, and the weakest in our society, rather than force the rich elite that collapsed the economy to pay the price for their arrogant confidence trick in the stock markets and financial institutions who believe they have us in the palm of their hands, to crush at their whim.
No one in my country now can see any difference between the political parties who bleat endlessly about their intention to put it all right for us, “in time,” simply because there’s not a cigarette paper’s thickness between their policies. Dress New Labour’s big election pledges up any way you like and it means only that the Neo-Liberal agenda rolls on.
The simplest way to recognise this is the promise to save the NHS (the British National Health Service) whilst leaving market regulations in place, calling it the “preferred provider” which means all the expensive tendering process will remain to drain front line finance from where it’s needed.
https://www.opendemocracy.net/ournhs/caroline-molloy/billions-of-wasted-nhs-cash-noone-wants-to-mention
Ed Miliband has spent the last four years hearing a word spoken. Well, not one he didn’t want to hear that is. He forgot to mention the deficit or immigration in his conference speech. And of course, once again, filled the seats behind him with ethnic faces to prove he was a man of the world. And world meaning in our faces and on our benefits. Paid for by the squeezed workers who will no longer benefit from any National Insurance policy we collectively pay into in the UK, because it can no longer cover an additional 5 million people who entered the UK since 1997. Milliband’s master, the Blair creature, brought that policy in to ‘rub the rights noses in it.’ As told us all by Andrew Neather in his newspaper article some short time ago.
So just to remind him, the reason UKIP is increasing support is because the electorate feel they have a party that is singing from a different hymn sheet. Which after listening very carefully to their new recruit, Mr Carswell, is as far from different as any other Tory, New Labour or Lib Dem clone who knows only how to speak his weight can do, and because all the other parties are singing from that same hymn sheet, thereby creating the very vacuum that UKIP can fill by default.
What we need are real Labour Policies that actually recognise the achievements of a post war socialist party. The Tories then tried to pretend we didn’t have the money for it but we now know they do. We do have the money to pay for ‘our’ public services so they must stop lying about the deficit. And at the pretence the UK is on the up, way ahead of the rest of the world. That little story is done with smoke and mirrors. What they call massaged figures.
Otherwise, where did we find the £375 trillion to support Western Bankers?
So the fortress we need to build in Britain and the rest of Europe is from those who are leading us from a Global spectrum that intends a return to universal slavery, experienced by the people of the world in the middle ages.
Workhouse is what they have written on every one of our foreheads and on those foreheads of our children, or, arbeit macht frei.
Dear Catherine Benning, I do not know to which radical nationalist movement you belong, but seeing your Right-Winged comments under every Thread makes me doubt, if you yourself inhibit the “values of Europe” you are very fond of protecting against invaders, with an “European Fortress”. This values being Liberalism, Humanism, Democracy and Freedom.
Besides that, let me tell you something. I am an “immigrant” from Turkey, currently living in Germany. I came here with the age of 18 to STUDY, and I am WORKING here since the whole duration of 10 years since I am in Germany. Paying Taxes and making all kind of “European” things.
Did you, Catherine Benning, being an “European”, paid for my Flat, my Education, my Existence? No. I did everything myself.
In fact, who says immigrating to Europe would be easy? Do you folks even have any idea how hard to get a study visa for Germany?
Do you know how they limit your working allowance to 90 x 8 hours for a year?
Do you know how German Universities force you to pass a German Test which its base-Nazi population would fail at?
Do you know how they make your parents sign a contract in which is stated they need to send you money monthly from your own country for your base needs? To my study times this was ~ 600 Euros monthly, which should act as a social help barrier in case something happens.
Do you know what Germany tells you when you call for a student loan, that they tell you “Foreigners dont get study loans.”?
Have you ever been stopped by “civil police” on the street whose sole purpose was to ask you questions like : “Why you are in Germany? How long do you study? What do you plan to do after your study? You want to stay here?
In fact, I am paying for you, for the next time your Capitalist british Banks fail and go bankrupt, The EU will save it with the taxes I am paying here.
Imigration as you call it is a result of globalisation. Get used to it it will not go away.
I understand why anyone would try and seek a better life but it is not our responsibility to take in the world’s poor. We have an obligation to protect our indigineous populations first. There are so many indigineous Europeans struggling to make ends meet. Living in poverty. A migrant boat coming from Turkey had people who paid 5000 euros per head. There were whole families there. I’m sorry but that is not poverty. I could not pay that money and I have worked all my life.The second issue is illiegal immigration and that is what it is. You are not an asylum seeker if you have passed through other peaceful countries to get to your destination of choice. That is not the action of someone in fear for their life.
The E.U. in accepting this behaviour has made a mockery of all those who want to legally migrate. The other issue is assimilation and integration. Many of these people have no desire to assimilate.So what we potentially end up with is a European country whose culture has been assumed by another. The truth about Europe is that we are all different cultures and steeped in our different traditions and we love that about ourselves. Italians are different from Greeks, the French are different from the British etc. I am appalled by people who migrate and don’t want to assimilate. I am British and live in France. I love France and its traditions. Yes its different from Britiain but that’s why I’m here. I like that it’s different. I have lived in several other countries. One I didn’t like so much so I left. My advice to people who don’t like a country is simple.. leave. Instead of constantly complaining return to your country of origin and contribute to that society in the way you desire. Do not travel or live in another country if you can’t live by this adage ” When in Rome do as the Romans”
I love Europe and I am deeply offended and suspicious of people who come to our shores with the intention of changing us.
Blame the needless WARS everywhere from Libya to Syria, these waves of MILLIONS would be refugess if it were not for these bogus false wars for profit, which the EuU is partially to blame for itself, end the wars and it will end this culture of mass migration.
No it’s not!
It’s not…
Probably that’s the main reason for the continously growing popularity of the nationalist parties
.
More importantly should we should to keep out the refugees fleeing the EU.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2406182/The-euro-refugees-flocking-Britain-Tens-thousands-flee-Spain-Greece-Portugal.html
Well, it certainly should be divided- the migrants who would like to enter into E.U.for the benefits, or those who’s life are in real danger! The laws of immigration should be changed, because it were made in 1945, since than many changes have occurred in Europe and globally as well!
Yea all of Africa and Middle east should come here.
No, but should be. We should have the right to choose who we allow at our home.
It was never possible to be a fortress: since ancient times what we call Europe has constantly been invaded by people coming from Asia and Africa! Those people are the ones that make up modern Europeans!
Who’s the new person writing these questions? The posts feel just as click-baity as the FT lately…
Racism continuity
See Potentials !!! We need economic prosperity. We can boost economy. http://www.WWSEEP.com .
I hope not
with every new high tech-fence the European Union constructs, the “fortress”Europe gets more absurd and less human
EU is sucking in many levels…
I think the migrants are to be helped. We are civilized people and the migrants are running away from war. We should organise in order to help them.
The EU is often more open (and open-minded) that the single countries that compose it. I hope it continues to be a beacon of humanity and progress.
No issue in regards to migrants….in principle…but….the EU should tackle the issues concerning and affecting its current citizens and social construct, before taking on more issues from other social constructs.
The Europen citizenschip needs some law for a modern migrants history becouse a violence and tollerance for a war crimes
:)
any countrys are chosen ; to join the FRANC MONDIAL beaten in meteorites gold , in purpose to equalise the entire nationals brut products , european country had been already grouped to be all absorbed all into one to le FRANC MONDIAL . dont forget one money to any country is not friendly with who is feeding trivials strzategic manners, the peace of any is leading, ther peace of the weaker country is the the primary aspect, the humanity psychee need this healing of a new economic rules and equity , that the faible are not the actual slaves that fed the abusiv profit done from strong money to faibles countrys .LE FRANC MONDIAL IS ALSO A PROGRAMM OF FREE ENERGY? AND ANTIGRAVITY APPLIED TO CIVILIAN TECHNOLOGYS ; KEYS TO THE CONTEMPORARY PARADIGMS, global warming , polar shift , polution , sur-population , share the extra atmospheric mineral ressources as an entire humanity patrimony , decidant that fed the trivials strategic manners trusting eugenics paterns . the migrant run away them countrys, it s to heal this process, ordonnate an decent issue of trust our human race expanssion to space expanssion and avoid any eradication programms .
Eurpa csak nzi,hogy teszi tnkre a meneklt radat.T
Melilla, Spain. Illegal imigrants invasion.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=419_1425217444
Not yet, but it should.
This is a solution to what problem? Can you define it? The problem, I mean?
Your question should refer to EU Citizens exercising the right of work and movement in another state, NOT “EU Migrants”
And secondly, when clicking on The link it redirects you to an article about Libyan migrants.
These are 2 diametrically opposed issues. Am I missing anything or…?
If non-EU, first having worked legally at least 5 years in the EU country, then option for 6 months support and after that leave the EU. For EU citizens, one should have first worked one year. Benefits can then be given on a per need basis but after one year either work or no more benefits.
Yes. And only legal residents who have worked and contributed. There is no point allowing people in who only live off benefits, which too many do.
Question is not clear…what you mean by E.U. migrants ? People of the E.U. within the E.U. ,..yes…. People from outside the E.U. …each country should decide what to do.
Yes, definetely! At the moment the migration laws are not harmonized between E.U. members and anyone can claim refugee status in certain countries, which would allow potential terrorists to walk freely in all European society! The refugee status laws should be changed in a way that all claimers should be watched a minimum of 2-3 years before they get out in the society! certainly in all member countries..
A “qualifying period’, you mean those who survive without aid during that qualifying period will be helped ????
Para que eviten mucho la inmigracion.
Se tiene que incentivar la economia en esos paises,devido a las guerras y problemas de paises que algunas personas incentivan para apoderarse de una pais, MALOGRANDO ECONOMIAS Y BUENOS EMPRESARIOS.
Primero malogran la economia,llevan a la banca rota a buenas companias,despues compran el pais………………………..ESO PRODUCE INMIGRACION.
Yes
I am very pro EU but I don,t think that anybody should be entitled to benefits straight away .I moved to another country when it was still the EEC and I wasn,t entitled to any benefits then because I had to be able to support myself by working otherwise I had to leave and every had to have a visa to stay in the country and I think it should be the same way today
we need more bridges and less walls (said by Newton?)… well.. very tipical from EU to colonize other lands and slave their people.. gipsies are the real native people of europe (apart of the white neanthertal of course)… and you wan to restric their movements!… congratulations,.. you are more fascist than i could imagine.
Nope but set the social security on Eu level than can’t anyone complaint against other Eu members
They all must go home. Europeansvare poor. Theres no more place for them.
That depens on which migrants: Muslims should be required, non-eu migrants, depending on integration.
No more immigrants.. You cause harm for them and to EU when you accept them… economies are deteriorating already here!
it is a continent of people free to move. do the US or brasil know such obstacles?
I would like to ask them why they are trying to escape from such a 100% religious state to the atheist France . Is it not that religion should create love , peace and justice ? And if they are going to fight to give love , peace and justice to all of us ?
In my honest opinion, illegal (irregular) migration, is highly counterproductive. When referendums where held for countries to decide whether to become fully fledged E.U members or not, the principle was European unity. Basically, people voted to become members of the European union, not the African union. Multiculturalism has been prooven time and time again that it’s a complete failure. Morovere, wih the Isis threat nearing the E.U borders, self preservation should be our sole concern. In conclusion, by granting more rights/benefits to these illegal migrants, E.U is simply asking for more boatloads to arrive to our shores!
If you are paying taxes from day one, then you should have benefits from day one as well, given that you work legally of course. It is the only way of not distinguish between Europeans which we shouldn’t, otherwise our common system loses its sens of purpose. Besides, all EU migrants don’t use their social benefits in host EU states, so practically, this discussion should be refocused
Just stop free movement.
Thank you Mr Vikalo!
Yes
No! No! No!
Legal emigrants shouldn`t be discriminated, it is against what we stand, racism is a danger for the modern society. But illegal emigrants, illegally crosed EU borders, no legal right to be in the EU should be send whereever they came from, basically cause they`ve broke the law by entering the EU illegally.
THE CHT UNITED PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC FREEDOM FEDERATION (CHTUPDFF) think that and request EU country leader Muslims People’s no enter in EU ANYCOUNTRY BECAUSE Muslims people’s is a criminal and Jihadi , They are always like killing, torture, raped, and human rights violence….
The world belongs to everybody : as long as EU countries create falsified medical dossiers, do not send medical dossiers to another EU country so a EU citizen lost ALL RIGHTS ! during a serious health problem (I SPEAK ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS : SHAME ON THEM !) the whole world may ask help and get all benefits;because the whole EU system is totally closed and rotten, thanks to a dirty 28 nationalistic lobbying ! and fake-politics. And ‘ YES’ I’m very PRO EU but just ONE federal EU system we need immediatly : too many people are filling their pockets by doing NOTHING to make it better !
…..and then….there was a …bog silence…..please debat FIRST about the basics and the right applications ! y 28 and then less important can follow ! Stop discrimination ; i think this Migration thing is total discrimination, ‘promoted’ by a ‘few’ who seems to feel ‘better’ than the person from elsewhere looking for a better life ! This person has COURAGE ! And he or she has the RIGHT to move in the world…or is that right only for the ‘invisible people behind the debatingeurope.eu. Yes, you understood : this makes me very angry !
No non-white and non-Christian immigrants in EU!
Had Europe been a fortress, it’s army would stand by and defend it’s shores. It seems Europe only has one security agenda and that’s the NATO one. 60 odd years past the second world war, with a common currency and the world’s biggest economic block and the EU still has no standing army, no unified frontier patrol. Imagine living in Malta or in Pantilleria. We try our best to assist as hundred of hapless migrants, refugees or could-be potential terrorists as they approach our shores. Most of these people are escaping wars and famine, others are economic migrants. We must do our best to save lives. Hopefully none of the new arrivals harbour resentment against the West. God forbid. Where is the EU in all this? Fortress Europe?! How pathetic.
No we need to let in all of Africa.
Has Mali, Niger, Somalia applied to the EU? ..yet ? We have to accept that they do everyday day by day.
.
You ‘Europeans’ can do what you like, we are leaving your imperialist nightmare.
I agree completely.This racist
Probably but it’s the only possible strategy in the present situation
fortress business was happening already 40 years ago
STRATEGY? WHAT STRATEGY? GENOCIDE?
EU was for the Economy.And the EURO currency is ruled by a PRIVATE BANK.
What Union?
And WHO’s selling weapons to who?
Poors must have food…imperialists of europe take everything from them. How tgey survive? Is a solution to leave their countries their lands to be…europeans citizens? I don’t thing so… World and humans needs to live not to be hunger and the others being fat..more than elefands. God want anyine to enjoy life but wars make the poor people in a tragic situation. Help them to stay on their Homes
Calling the EU is imperialistic? Give us a break, will you? Is this becasue you still have hang overs from your lost (British) empire? In the meantime we have to contend with the absolute mess which your lost empire has left behind in Africa. First you slaved and exploited all their natural resources, then you discarded them with that so-called ‘independence’ (or was it a run down?).
I do not understand the problem. OK we save them, but why do we not put them in a both back where they came from? Does not seem complicated. Anybody that is really a political refugee should not take a boat but follow the correct procedure. Taking the boat is illegal and then you go back.
Bullshit, Ray. Check a little harder. Try France.
Would never migrate to EU… Also had active EU5 and anoter thing why lve n EU once you live in Europe – European Commission – Let Serbia answer many quations and cannot be arrognat any longer… OONE SOUL – ONE PARTY… I am a Marsal Tito kid always welcme to any country in he World but Serbia!! For me it is just high time to the quation imposed such as WHY EXPERTS ARE AS USUAL HATED IN SERBIA? European Union at the Council of Europe ? Strasbourg NB I am kind of different – speak just Like Croatia – EXCELLENT CROATIAN and as such have to check on what APATRID is – was a happy kid Marshal Broz – Yugsolavia (ie Republic of Serbia) being free and always welcome – grown upin Ialy? For me Serbia is not any country anulonger – DIPLOMATS AND DIPLOMAT CHILDREN NOT BEING SAVE!! Save the Children/Thks will be getting in touch with interntional staff in Serbia!! Also te fact is that publicly my work in Translation is appreciated – but cannot work on any article as MILJENKO RADIC decides on our present and future here!! Serbia is behind the IRON CURTAIN and POOR COUNTRY HAVING MEDICAL EXPERIMENT – also arrogant in dominance and abuse of INtellectual and students!! Jus and organization of Crime Red Mob Crimers – also mad in their terrible blackmail!! So sorry for them no =t being able to ave any use of me as an Expert in Finance Engineering – Maybe would hae had a change!! Also FDV – Fakulteta za dru?bene vede – Aware that by making baricads for my children – elite French school and also American tey did sjow to entire World arrogance of illiterate economy and they lose I gain!! Nemanja SAVIC Banca Intesa owes me 2000 EURO Personal!y and also ALPHA BANKA World Bank! Thks for being in touch! Georgetown University School of Medicine NB Sure when they mingled with great Monsanto Company Expert Finance (also Trade) losing brain – no FInancial System – just ROBBERY AND ORGANIZED CRIME BANCA INTESA AND ALPHA BNKA World Bank – Not for imprtant people for Serbia but to those that matter to Real Economies and Realism of LIFE!! United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) NB They dram having any SERBIA after what they oranize or tolerate and definitely to be sure no COUNRY WILL BE MOTHER TO THEIR KIDS AFTER WHAT THEY ORGANIZED OR TOLERATED HERE FOR ME AND MY KIDS – European Union at the Council of Europe ? Strasbourg NB My Dad contributed a lot to normal Serbia! Never appreciated tough – why have His Knowledge and Know-how better cry to EU Law and Publications to let them have somemoney – just wanted to make us beggers or they are beggers for ages? False Math – Banca INtesa Criminal issue American Translators Association NB Never ever experienced HATRED!! European Union at the UN ? Geneva Shoulf habe never installed any MEDICAL EXPRIMENT FOR SCIENTISTS AND DIPLOMATS BUT ARE BUNCH OF LUNATICS!! Georgetown University Medical Center MILJENKO RADIC WILL JUST KILL THEM ALL – Not me – has to stop for United Nations, Belgrade!! Poor fool of UDBA story – UDBA as I said annot be any Economy or Finance or Engineering bu Engineerng of Mad MEDICAL EXPERIMENT EXPERIMENT FOR SERBS TO HAVE FUN AN SHARE TEIR FALSE MONEY BEING PRINTD AS PER NEEDED AMOUNTS… to tease all the World… American Medical Association (AMA)-Harvard Medical School-Mayo Medical School NB KILLING PEOPLE TJRU UGLJEVIK BAND SAYS ALL – THEY ARE MORE WELCOME TO BELGRADE THAN ME… COMING FROMSUVA REKA – SRDJAN IANCEVIC DECIDES ON KILLING BELGRADES – SERIJSKI UBICA!! Sure Montenegro will not follow – MILO too sane for tat!! MILO WOULD NEVER DO IT TO A MONTENEGRIN – SERBS DID IT NOT MONTENEGRO!! BELGRAD WILL NEVER BE HAVING ANY DIGNITTY NOR BUSINESS AFTER WGAT THEY DID – 5 NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WEAPON – But not feasibility – SO THEY DAMAGED ENTIRE THERMOELECTRIC SYSTEM – TENT 1 andTENT 2 and also DJERDAP – so no chance – LUNATIC ENGINEERS!! LUNATIC ENGINEERS cannot lead any country – so no country – How come thay lie EU Law and Publications?? America?? India Today?? Indonesia?? Malasya? Discover China? Italy? Why have FIAT installed and them lie ITALIANENGINERS and have 5 Nucler Power Plant running MEDIDAL EXPERIMENT tp as they say tie people notto be able to use bathroom PRIVAT PLACE?? UNICEF Italia – KIDS OF SERBIA ARE DEFINITLY WITH NO FUTURE – samo ODABRANI!! Provericu sta znaci APATRID svakako i hvala ljepa Like Croatia!!! LUNATICS!! Dubravka Alic
NO, it is a place where people can live in peace
Hypocrisy everywhere
Depends which country, one of them (without naming it) is turning into a huge port where they all stay
yes!!! no doubt about it
Europe can not harbour, shelter, feed and support all Africa…moving onto our continent. Europeans have their own issues to deal with anf the continent does not stretch indefinitely to accomodate masses of refugees. Politicians must act and help africans on their land. Otherwise…poverty and crime will show an ugly face in Europe too.
When will African governments be involved in solving this problem???
EUROPE is so a small Earth’s mainland and it CANNOT TAKE IN AND FEED the whole body of the folks of Asia,Africa and South America.Given the utter ugliness,bareness,narshness and starkness of the landscape of Africa ,Asia and the most of South America it is fully understandable why all want so keenly to come and live in the wonderful ,green ,fairytale-like Europe .
UE and USA are the principal guilty for everything that is happening now……. Why Blair, Sarkozy, Obama, Bush, Durao Barroso and others aren’t in court? Why exist IS? Who give them money on the beginning ? UE and USA have destroyed the stability in Europe an Africa: Ukraine, Libya, Syria, Egypt …….
Egoistic Union
EU always have been a shelter for poor people from Africa. We should give them a chance for education and integration. They could be very useful for EU
how dare you say that while France welcomes 200 000 new exo-european inhabitants each year with full rights and social benefits ? 2 millions each 10 years , (90% from Africa) and even a lot more if considering illegall immigrants. there is no such fortress .
EU helps create/start the wars that lead to this situation, and then pit Europe against eachother, its a big game the EU is playing, one important aspect for them is a rise of far right radical groups protesting this, just what the EU wants, just as in Ukraine.
Why not start to distinguish between migration and illegal immigration first ?
Yes and it cannot go on
When u look back to history u can see that If europeans wouldve not came to africa back then and treat its ppl like animals and destroy its economy, I fully believe then today u wouldnt have this big problem, africa is one of the most beautiful and rich continent, and because uk france italian protugese then almost destroyed it, I dont see why somebody nowday should get angry and annoyed having this immigrants “problem”, remember the damage europeans made to africa doesnt heal in one two three…
Yes… and I’m glad it is…
Not enough. Not a fortress but a controlled border where does who want to come in are screened.
To some degree. But decades of failed immigration and integration policies have led to huge gaps between people with migrant backgrounds and “natives” in both economic and scholastic achievement. Already tanking under extreme ageing, Europe really has little choice but to skew migration towards well educated and skilled migrants… The way it will balance this imperative with its connitement to refugees remains to be seen.
Problems in their countries should be solved , meny are running from wars, that could be endid, if there woulden’t be so much greed to sell weapons and open conflicts everywhere to acheve it.
Helping poor people is human
If UE want really comply with this tragedy should invest money in managing safe and legal ways for refugees to access protection in Europe and in establishing a mechanism for resettling refugees among ALL the 28 Member states.
31/08/2017 Judith Sunderland, Associate Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of Human Rights Watch, has responded to this comment.
13/09/2017 Vasilis Papadopoulos, Coordinator of the Legal Unit of the Greek Council for Refugees, has responded to this comment.
Problem is that those poor people are religious , PROBLEM is that religious people hunt me and other atheists . If they come to EU where are we going to move ? Religious people are doing ethnic or religious cleansing . Beginning in 1991, political upheavals in the Balkans displaced about 2,700,000 people by mid-1992, of which over 700,000 of them sought asylum in Europe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_cleansing_in_the_Bosnian_War
Problem is that those poor people are religious , PROBLEM is that religious people hunt me and other atheists . If they come to EU where are we going to move ? Religious people are doing ethnic or religious cleansing . Beginning in 1991, political upheavals in the Balkans displaced about 2,700,000 people by mid-1992, of which over 700,000 of them sought asylum in Europe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_cleansing_in_the_Bosnian_War
No its not! That’s a wrong image of EU….
Yes long a go. We even have fence like those in Israel before the wall in European part of Africa as I read.
We need to take mutch bigger responsibilities in what we do.
What if Alqaeda and other extremist groups would be infiltrating like these refugees??? Any screening project ??
Well, people tend to move when you bomb their houses. I would suggest stop wars there and let the immigration be a normal flow of people.
Az osztrkok a hatrok esetleges lezrst is tervezik.Akkor maradunk megint mi magyarok?A tbbi llam mit tervez?T
I hope so for illegals
Those countries which contributed to cause the wars in Syria, Libia, Iraq should take the migrants now!!! Don’t put them in those countries which never had colonies in past, no business interests there…
.
With the schengen agreement you created a magnet for refugees, financial migrants and probably terrorist and as always it will be the peoples of Europe who will pay for the forced integration of Europe.
It is a European problem so it will be left to Europeans to sort it out.
Leave us out of it.
Please! Are u kidding me?
Ivan Burrows
What about British settlers in other E.U. Countries? Should we nationalize and take away their properties, lands?!
Do you have any idea, statistics how many they are?
EU doesn’t turn into a fortress – it already is! And it is only natural to follow my money.
.
Your schengen area draws them like a magnet and it seems they are indeed on their way.
Well done EU, well done.
http://www.thelocal.it/20150513/isis-terrorists-coming-to-italy-within-weeks
So Ivan, you mean that the British citizens can live the world over, as you say, but you wouldn’t allow other nations to do so in U.K.? Isn’t that a kind of nazist behaviour?!
I think problem is that to many people are trying to move to some other country .
Ivan, I agree that U.K. is cosmopolitan but why would you want to change it? You should not want to leave Europe, should rather change the attitude of European burocrats and politicians… There are other countries who would like that, so get united with Greece, Hungary, Italy, Spain and make the E.U. what it was planned: the free nations trade# services agreement! Don’t let the U.S.A. and Germany to create another superpower which is acting above national governments!!!
This “invasion” is only a palliative solution on a short term…Decades of under-development have created this situation…In other words: After independence the former colonial powers in cahoots with the freshly baked new African governments started the new programme of exploitation which now shared their ill-gotten profits between neo-colonials and the new Fathers of the new Nations…( I here exclude the old generation of South Africans as in Madiba, Sisulu, etc) The rest of African so called leaders should be ashamed of themselves as they were/are only interested in furthering their own private agendas and get rich quick…
depend on which side of the wall you are … as Romanians we still face it (the wall I mean)
I think that obligatins should be devidad iqualy. Here in Spain if somebody hasn’t got work fot a year, being European, Spanish or from any other country, gets 800 euros per month wich many workers don’t get after 8 hours of hard lagour. 600 for living and 200 for lodging. If a Spanish or Italian worker goes to Germany and he hasn’t got work for six month , he is expelled. I don’t see this as an equal division.
If the oligarqui wouldn’t sit on unacoutable amounts of money, they could invest and make an infrastructure in thed
Europe is great in everything but in size. Considering the abismal numbers of immigrants rescued (or dead) near Lampedusa in the last weeks, we’re dealing with an exodus, at a rate of more than one million persons/year. I’m not against immigration and I sympathize with all those who quest for a better life, but there is NO WAY for Europe to integrate 50.000.000 migrants in the next 50 years… What is happening right now to those migrants rescued from the Mediterranian? They dwell in “camps”, by the number of millions, in half a dozen spots, well hidden from the always hiper sensitive european consciousness. Maybe it would be good also to see some concern about what is going to happen to those already here.
Everything somehow went upside down:
Those who would love to destroy EU, they are talking FOR more immigrants and refugees.
Those who would love to keep EU living, they are talking AGAINST more immigrants and refugees.
At the end, one can now see who wants EU or not, and who was speaking the truth about their party program undtil now.
Because, there´s no doubt that so many refugees and immigrants will come to destroy EU. But it will also when that point comes, also destroy national countries with some kind of crisis.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205462008762250&set=pb.1011554714.-2207520000.1431585602.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-mxp.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-xta1%2Fv%2Ft1.0-9%2F17925_10205462008762250_8242845105589986381_n.jpg%3Foh%3De671badbfb5a5c205a6eddc29b130638%26oe%3D55CBBA03&size=640%2C610
Well, all these migrants from Africa, the global recession started 2008, starting wars in Syria, Libia guess where was planned? In the White House of U.S.A.! Guess why? BECAUSE THEY WERE FRIGHTENED THAT THE E.U. WOULD TAKE OVER THE LEADING GLOBAL ECONOMIC POWER! Guess what? They succeed because of European lack of solidarity, greed and selfishness!
Nooooo were just being invaded by people who want to rape steal and kill but its fiiiiine
were gonna kill ourself so that they can have our’jobs here
Ivan Burrows, i don’t know if that was the case from the beginning, i think in 1970’s the free European states had started with good intentions..
For now it’s probably true what you’re saying about E.U. federalists being bug time sponsored by U.S.A. corporations to create a world superpower with the TTIP agreement!
But don’t forget and watch it closely- some of the U.K. politicians might be involved as well..
Ivan Burrows
You might be right but don’t forget that the elite of U.S.A. has European and Israeli background..
If all that is true and it was carefully planed and carried out since 1950’s, it means the TTIP(Transatlantic Trade Industry project) will bring us the total dictatorship of the world elite, even worse what the communism was?!
And the USA would not let the UK to stay out of it?!
yes
Yes it is I think, it makes me really sad the intolerant to humans…:(
What makes me angry is we allow their people in power to do what they do.Wen are they gona be stopped so people can live in their home land.
Its shameful weak that armies look on at the brutality! !!
If was gold diamonds oil at risk and not humans..we all know the answer.
USA Australia new Zealand Canada south Africa ect..Unless indigenous. Everyone an immigrant. .lol.
Worth remembering and most were economic migrants.
English cultural must be matained and respected. .
Wen in rome do as the romes do!
EU has to turn into fortress. EU must change its migration policy. First of all the EU has to face up non european migrants particularly islamists. We face up unemploynment. European citizens face up unemoloyment, starvation . We can not help non european migrants as well unskilled employees. It is so simple. In addition EU must revise internal migration policy from country to country. The reason is so simple too. Each country has financial problems and unemployment. The internal migration is not so important issue. In contrast non european migrants particulary islamists, is a problem due to different culture. We can see what islamic state and islamists do in Syria etc. Decapitates, excisions etc. European culture has not something common with these cultures.
We are facing hard times here in Europe and it is time to take care of the locals first. Other parts of the world should take refugees and emigrants as well…The world should help them anyway!!
We know that it is not an issue, it is a situation! NATO harms the political and socio-economical peace all around Asia and Africa. People living in peace for ages are enforced to look for a shelter and food abroad. And NATO and EU policy is to welcome those people in EU, because they mean for the economy low wage labour. And the EU is more interested in the economy development than in the risk management of the inevitable failure of our society, that is just behind the corner. Please, stop disturbing those Asians and African societies, give the humans chance to get born, to leave in peace, and to die in the same neighborhood. As it used to be.
my house is my fortress . And yours ?
Something has to be done yesterday!!! We are all just watching!! That’s a disgrace to mankind!! Shame!!
Unskilled labour is not required in Europe these days……just the way it is.
Saudi Arabia sending all black people back to Ethiopia if they found they don’t have proper visa. And NOBODY complain. Why Europe have to behavior differently? Why EU wish to take coins from my retired parents and give to somebody whose is not belonging here anyhow: culturogicaly, religiously, ethnically. What Syrian and black people did positive that we should take them social and other support? Nothing. So? We have own problems and remove them back in Syria or the place they come … no they will not be killed.but they maybe will kill our people on the street as they are security and social problem. I really don’t like that some politician create EU as new Islamic territory and in the same time try to demolish all Christians values in every domain where is possible. Who give you right to do this?
If you leave people drown in the sea, that is exactly demolishing all christian values you are so proud of. Second, i think or hope that Europe cannot be compared with Saudi Arabia yet in treating humans. If we in Europe take Saudi Arabia as exemple for our behaviour…then we will go back to dark ages. No, thanks.
Apparently not. Europe continues to get more and more ships of africans…muslims…asians..and whoever…whatever needs a safe place to relocate. But something s got to give and one day this huge migration wave must be stopped.
And it wont t stop by itself.
Say no to unskilled migrants. We have had enough in the uk. Its full. No room.
Are Africa and the middle east turning into a source of invading colonists seeking to take advantage of humanitarian European schmo’s?
For humanitarian grounds, EU has to give refugees of war protection. However, receiving too many refugees would also lead to social instability in EU and discontent. EU needs to have its own armed forces for EU and regional security, which is, to create a EU army rather then relying on NATO, which is now being used by the US to disrupt Euroasia’s stability. As Emmanuel Macron said, NATO is brain dead.