Earthquake for European political landscape

The current immigration crisis is the biggest challenge that Europe has seen for decades, and the unprecedented influx of refugees has become an earthquake for the European political landscape, European Council President Donald Tusk told a meeting in Strasbourg. The EU leaders have agreed on an action plan, which involves a short-term solution for the reception of a million refugees in 2015. The agreement, in particular, involves sending 400 policemen to guard the borders of Slovenia. However, yesterday they said in Ljubljana that Slovenia can start construction of a fence along its border, like Hungary, if the agreement on assistance to the countries of Eastern Europe in connection with the influx of migrants will not be realized.

Associate Professor of European Law (University) of the MFA of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Toporin, believes that we need to talk about the crisis not only of the EU, but about the crisis in separate countries, which currently do not have a specific solution, a particular vision of how to get out of this crisis. "On the agenda there is the question of whether the countries that are involved in this crisis will be able to agree on concerted actions. It is no coincidence that one of the first decisions was to include a mechanism of hotline interaction, coordination between all the parties on specific, short-term issues related to the fact that every day thousands of refugees crossing the border," Toporin said.

According to him, the word "stop" is not on the agenda in Europe, on the agenda is to soften, relieve the pressure on the external borders. "We are talking about a mitigating of the problem and transition of it, like Angela Merkel says, in the sphere of human dignity of those people who cross the border and the establishment of minimum conditions for human residence in certain areas, in certain territorial areas".

According to the expert, the Germans are very careful with the concepts of transit zones, temporary stay. "Angela Merkel has moved from the position of  ‘You are welcome!’  to the tough stance of relatively sifting the real refugees who need asylum, fleeing from the terrible conflicts in Europe, from those who, in principle, I would say, belong to the so-called social migrants. The terms of consideration of the relevant statements on the possibility of asylum in the EU are being changed. The Germans are already beginning to organize reverse expulsion of people. So, here I have an open question: "To where are they expelled?" Because they say that they are sent home, I'm scared to imagine, because about 20% of the refuges are Syrians. Where? Back home? To Aleppo? To Damascus?" Toporin asked.

In his words, up to 2015, the EU's migration policy was quite effective, but the EU did not expect that a professional corridor would be organized, though which thousands of refugees (it is business), could go.