Europe no more in immigration denial

Europe has finally recognised the elephant in the room: immigration. This neglected pachyderm is one large reason for the hard-right gaining traction in EU countries as varied as Italy and the Netherlands, where outright anti-immigration parties engaged with, and then owned, this ‘problem’ bothering enough citizens to worry about their jobs and ‘way of life’. On Wednesday, representatives of the 27 EU member states and European Parliament signed the New Pact on Migration and Asylum for reforming and streamlining the migration and asylum system. The reforms include speedier vetting of irregular arrivals, creating border detention centres, quicker deportation for rejected asylum applicants, and a solidarity mechanism to take pressure off southern EU countries that are saddled with vast inflows of migrants. The pact paves the way for a definitive agreement scheduled to be reached before the European Parliament elections in June.

Immigration and asylum are lightning rod issues in rich, developed countries where economic growth has slowed down. The absence of a system made it difficult to deal with it, resulting in a crisis. Geert Wilders’ win in the Netherlands, growing support for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France and AfD in Germany show how powerful a poll issue migration can be. Wednesday’s pact has managed to dilute, if not deny, the far-right one of its key issues ahead of next summer’s elections.

Activists argue the pact will increase the suffering of those escaping difficult conditions in their home countries, given the screening, detention and deportation provisions. The European Commission argues that the norms are designed to provide certainty and clarity, and establish a common approach to migration and asylum based on respect for human rights. Sure, the pact is not perfect. But like all regulations, it is about balancing the different demands and needs in a viable and politically feasible manner. For starters, keeping the issue off the table because of sheer political correctness has been rectified.