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EUROPEAN UNION and the migration issues of Africa
G.Jumadilova, A.Nurgalikyzy, N.Fedotenkova L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University jumadilova82@mail. ru
This article examines the issues and solutions of migration from Africa to the European Union and analyzes the positive and negative aspects. The statistics of migration flows are reflected and analyzed. The current situation in the European Union and Africa is reviewed and discussed.
Key words: migration, legal migrants, illegal migrants, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, demographic situation, carriers, causes, consequences.
In spite of the fact that multiple laws on forbidding the illegal immigration of foreigners and their employment were adopted in the last decade, the illegal immigration has become an integral part of the development of the European states. Over the years, Europe has shown an interest in illegal labor immigration, which would be beneficial to both the employer and the state. That is why the governments of Western European countries did not actively resist the illegal labor. However, over the years, migration has intensified.
Source: frontex.europa.eu 95
Figure lillustrates the flow of illegal migrants coming to the European Union in 2014-2015. About 2,000 migrants came to Europe from Africa between 2014-2015, while about 180-190 thousand illegal migrants crossed the Central Mediterranean in 2014-2015. And in 2015, the number of migrants coming through the Western Balkans was about 800,000. This diagram shows that the inflow of illegal migrants from the African continent to the European Union is only growing.
Asylum claims in Europe, 2015
Total EL) claims*
1,321 ,560
Spain Greece
No data
Map also shows claims for non-EU members Norway and Switzerland
1 ,000 10.000 100,000 500,000
Source: Eurastat [3[ JM
Source: eu.europa.eu/Eurostat statistical books.
As we can see from Figure 2, among the European countries,in 2015, Germany had a large proportion of asylum for migrants andit hosted more than 476,000 [3] migrants. That was due to the fact that Germany is in the forefront of Europe's wage earnings and asylum seekers. The state of Hungary is on the second place in providing housing for migrants, it is due to the fact that migrants travel through the Balkan peninsula through Greece and western Balkans. In December, the number of migrantsreached 177,130 [3].
It should be noted that official migration in Europe slowed down in the early 1990s, but the number of foreigners did not decrease. This situation indicates a high percentage of illegal migrants' flow, and the European states spend a lot of money on registration of refugees and internally displaced persons and their placement and sponsorship. There were 2.5 million refugees in 1975, and at the beginning of the new millennium this number has grown tenfold. With regard to illegal migration, more than 500,000 people come to the European Union each year illegally. The total number of illegal migrants in Europe varies from 5 to 7 million depending on different calculations.
The EU leaders are deeply interested in this. One of the main challenges is to mitigate the migration pressure from the African continent. Annually, tens of thousands of people are risking their lives in order to reach Europe from the African continent. The main flow is from Morocco to Spain, from West Africa to the Canary Islands, from Tunisia and Libya to the southern part of Italy.
SWOT analysis on migration in the European Union:
Finland
Norway
Swnripn
Strength Weakness
1. Cheap labor force; 2. Increased social status of African peoples; 3. Implementation of multiculturalism policies in European countries; 4. Tolerance, mutual cultural cooperation; 1. Strengthening of migration flows; 2. Increased density of population; 3. Budget allocations for migrants; 4. Social conflicts; 5. The protest of local population for the arrival of refugees;
Opportunity Threat
1. Resolving demographic issues; 1. Terrorism threat; 2. The occurrence of criminals; 3. The threat of assimilation of local people with migrants;
Summing up the expertise of the migration problem in the European Union, it can be seen that the negative side is overwhelming. In our view, this issue has been going on in Europe for a long time. Migration as a result of the demographic growth of many countries has been deemed to be a solution to the demographic crisis. However, migration has become one of the most pressing issues in Europe. The local population of the European countries has a negative opinion about the arrival of refugees. This is due to the fact that many criminal offenses are taking place in many European cities.
The measures taken at borders to mitigate the flow of migrants can not be a solution. These goals were announced at theLumia meeting in 2000 and continued at the following Lisbon and Tripoli meetings. In Africa, sustainable development requires investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture and education.
Source: www. bbc. com
As shown in Figure 3, Tunisia may become a large carrier of illegal migrants in the future, collecting the citizens of African countries located in the south of Sahara. According to many sources, the number of illegal migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea is about 100-120,000 every year, of which 2,000 are still missing.
Only in 2016, 181,000 migrants travelled from North Africa to the southern coast of Europe, 90% of them went through Libya. It was a real record, and by 20% more than in 2015. At the same time, more than 5,000 people have drowned on their way to Europe, including the large amount of people who drowned crossing the dangerous and difficult road of Sakhill and Southern Libya. Of course, nobody can guarantee that these figures will be less in 2017.
Depending on the demographic developments in Africa, the Middle East and East Asia, the migration crisis of 2015-2016 will be different. During those years, Africa has been experiencing a demographic growth that has not been seen in history. According to the United Nations, in 30 years the number of people in the African continent will double, by 2050 the population will increase from 1.2 to 2.4 billion. In addition to extreme poverty and political and social upheaval, an unprecedented rise in the population can be seen as the beginning of an ever-increasing and inexplicable migration outbreak for the European continent [2].
The current housing system is expensive and inefficient. This system is unable to solve the problem of future refugees and migrants. According to estimates of the Center for Economic Research in Cologne, only in 2016 and 2017 Germany spent on refugees and migrants about 50 billion Euros. Other German researchers indicate similar estimates. In contrast, if Germany decides to increase overall defense costs, the amount of money spent on migrants in 2017 will be less than 37 billion Euros[1].
Sweden will spend 6.1 billion Euros a year for migrant housing and other payments by 2020, which amounts to 56 billion Swedish Kroner, respectively. In Sweden, annual migrant expenditures are predominant, thus all Swedish budget for 2017, as aid to developing countries, is 46.1 billion Swedish Kroner. The annual budget of the United Nations refugee agency, the main task of which is to assist refugees around the world, was estimated at 6.7 billion Euros for 2015 [1].This means that the Swedish system, which covers the problem of asylum seekers, is equal to the general budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Ways to solve the migration problem:
1. Increase humanitarian aid to African States;
2. Collaboration of EU States in migration;
3. Consideration of the requirements of legal migration for the prevention of illegal migration;
4. Supporting economies of African countries, assisting in the regulation of education;
The situation in Africa could be slowed down and the slowdown in migration could occur if the European Union states rendered humanitarian support to the African countries and influenced their political stability.
References
1. inosmi.ru«The EU migration policy-is a disaster».
2. Harris, N. (2004) «Migration without borders: The economic perspective». Discussion Paper, UNESCO, Paris.
3. www.bbc.com«Crisis of migrants: Migration in Europe».
