Cochetel: Migration Causing “Crisis of Solidarity” in Europe

Mass migration to Europe is raising havoc on the continent, where thousands of refugees encounter different responses in different countries, often bouncing from one border area to another. The European Union remains divided over the best way to deal with the crisis.

An estimated 650,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The largest driver of that migration has been the conflict in Syria.

Representatives from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) addressed the refugee crisis, with a specific focus on the situation in Europe and the Mediterranean region, at IPI on October 16th, 2015.

Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Regional Coordinator for the Europe Refugee Crisis, said a lack of a cohesive regional policy was causing a “crisis of solidarity” in Europe.

Mr. Cochetel, the agency’s European Bureau Director, described a second crisis for Europe, of “trust,” when he spoke from his experience participating in tense meetings of the EU Council. “This is quite ugly what is happening in some of those meetings or in the back rooms, because some countries have a fundamentally different understanding of what is their obligation under the Common European Asylum system (CEAS), and I think that’s important in that context, to remember what is Europe’s history,” he said.

He recalled that history, highlighting the remarkable achievement of solidarity six decades ago, before integration, and without any sophisticated mechanisms, when half of the 200,000 Hungarians fleeing Soviet rule were resettled throughout Europe in just three months.

If Europe does not find a common policy through solidarity now, it will be “a considerable threat on the very foundation of the EU, with a return to national policies,” he said.

Ninette Kelley, Director of the UNHCR Liaison Office in New York, quantified the scale of the refugee crisis in Europe in statistics.

Ms. Kelley came to New York in August from Lebanon, where she represented UNHCR for five years. Lebanon has one of the most complex refugee operations in UNHCR’s history, in which 25% of the country’s total population are refugees.

Proportionally, refugees make up just 0.3% of the population in Europe, she said. By contrast, in Turkey, refugees make up 2.6% of the country’s population.

Citing a recent World Bank report, she placed these numbers in perspective. “If Europe took in proportionally the same amount of refugees as Turkey, 2.6%, it would solve the world’s refugee crisis,” she said. “It would basically admit 13 million refugees, leaving only 1 million refugees registered with UNHCR.”

She said that the needs of humanitarian agencies are only about 50% funded worldwide. This “means that every single day, agencies on the ground are making what can only be described, as heartbreaking decisions on what compelling need to prioritize,” she said. “It means that in the Syria situation, we simply don’t have enough resources to ensure that people have enough food, enough healthcare, and adequate shelter in order to live and withstand the exodus.”

Mr. Cochetel recognized the challenge of processing the large number of refugees arriving in Europe. “To register 6-7,000 people is not an easy task,” he said. “But it’s everybody’s job—not just Greece, it’s not just Turkey—it has to be done all along the route, and it’s not done.”

While instruments like the Dublin mechanism were elaborated by the EU years ago, their usage is not widespread. To prevent asylum applications being lodged in multiple countries, sometimes called “asylum shopping,” the Dublin mechanism requires refugees to register their application at their entry point to the EU.

During this crisis, this aspect of the Dublin mechanism has disproportionately burdened Greece and Italy, both maritime nations, as the primary method of travel for refugees is by sea.

It took two years to negotiate a path forward accepted by the coastal states responsible for refugee registration and their countries of resettlement. Mr. Cochetel urged EU members to implement this agreement, now that it has been reached, as soon as possible.

As European countries are asked to resettle even more refugees, one factor that Mr. Cochetel described as “not helpful,” was the reluctance of African countries to accept the return of economic migrants not eligible for resettlement in the EU. “You can’t convince European states to do more on legal migration if states refuse to implement their obligation in terms of taking back their citizens who are not eligible for residence in the EU,” he said.

As the season changes, Mr. Cochetel also reminded the audience about the impact of the elements on the arduous journey of refugees. “Winterizing a population is not easy for humanitarian agencies,” he said.

He said the arrival of so many refugees at the same time confronted Europe with a rude reality. “We had forgotten these crises were near Europe,” he said. “By and large the Syrian refugees did not come to Europe. Only 300,000 came in 4 years, and all of a sudden they are on our doorstep, on our roads, and they have a face and history.”

The event was part of IPI’s Humanitarian Affairs series.

Warren Hoge, IPI Senior Adviser for External Relations, moderated the conversation.

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