According to various evaluations, the total number of illegal migrants residing at the moment in the EU ranges from 5 to 8 million people. Unfortunately, there is no official European statistics available, but experts believe that around a million migrants can be found in such states as Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The latter two countries along with Cyprus are the main transit points for illegal migrants from North Africa. In turn, Greece has been used by smugglers from Turkey and Afghanistan for the transportation of Syrian refugees to the EU. According to the FRONTEX border agency, 90% of all migrants entering the states of Southern Europe come from these regions.
The abrupt increase in illegal immigration flows is undoubtedly a destabilizing factor. According to the International Labour Organisation, illegal migrants make up about a third of all migrants. They are predominantly employed in the shadow sector of an economy, which has been booming in the EU ever since the crisis of 2008-2009. The share of this sector in the GDP of the EU countries is closing to 20%. To be more precise, according to the official reports released by the European Commission, the shadow sector of the economy stands for 30-35% of Greek GDP, 27.8% of Italian GDP, and 23.4% of Spanish GDP, while such states as Ireland, France and Germany, the states that have clearly defined migration policies in place, this figure ranges from 14.9% to 16.3%.
Among the growing segments of the shadow economy in the EU one can mention drug trafficking. Drugs that are originating from Afghanistan are going through Pakistan to Turkey, where they are being processed and then smuggled through Kosovo to the countries of Southern Europe. From there they are being delivered to the northern European states. In order for those drugs to reach the UK, they are to be smuggled across the Channel, which is done easier that one can assume since its ports are being controlled by Albanians and those are using migrants as drug mules.
The situation with migrants in Europe has been getting increasingly more serious ever since Muslims started constituting the majority of those arriving. This resulted in Muslims becoming a force to be reckoned with in the EU, since they, instead of being integrated into the existing society, often aggravate disintegration processes. It should be noted that Islam has become the second largest religion in France and Italy already.
Thus, a considerable strengthening of the Muslim subculture increases the role that a local Muslim diaspora is playing in the socio-economic and political life of the host country. There is an example of the British Savile Town, that can be found in the suburbs of West Yorkshire. As of now, 99% of its population are former Middle Eastern, and Central and Southeast Asian residents, while the remaining representatives of the indigenous population are being pushed out. This city now lives according to Muslim traditions: you can only buy an ice cream from a women in a hijab, while local pubs are now being replaced by mosques.
Yet another example is the British city of Dewsbury, where out of 4000 inhabitants one can barely find a few dozen Brits. The city has recently become the center of a massive scandal, when journalists learned that a private Muslim school in area teaches local kids to resist local traditions and the Western culture in general, since it’s regarded as evil by teachers.
Such examples are giving rise to various protest initiative – like the Britain First movement which members are making rallies with Christian symbols in the areas densely populated by Muslims. That is precisely the reason why European countries are seeking a way out of the current crisis provoked by the massive illegal migrant flows.
European police forces have repeatedly forced migrants that were caught in the Aegean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar to turn back. In such situations, cases of police misconduct often go unpunished.
Now Hungary is building a barbed wire fence on the border with Serbia, in spite of the harsh criticism of this initiative that was voiced by the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. And one can hardly blame it, since such walls are now being erected in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco, or at the border of Greece and Turkey. In turn, the National Assembly of Slovenia, in spite of the opposition of the Speaker of the Parliament Milan Brglez, adopted a package of amendments to the law on foreigners, which will allow the parliament to virtually close the border for migrants.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the Berlin Christmas market attack is determined to speed up the deportation of those refugees who were denied asylum. In addition, the German authorities are planning to start persuading refugees to return home by saying that Berlin will be able to provide them with financial assistance. It’s been stated that a total of 40 million euros has been allocated on the program that would provide payments to anyone who would decide to go home
The EU is actively discussing the prospect of construction of refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon, Belarus and Ukraine. In early February, at an informal summit in Malta, European leaders have agreed on a coordinated plan to put an end to the flow of refugees heading for Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. However, to reach that goal, Europe must seek political solutions to the conflict in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, since the flow will not stop unless the Middle Eastern region is returned to normal life.
Grete Mautner is an indepenent researcher and journalist from Germany, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”
