By Selen Tonkuş
ANKARA
EU struggles to cope with immigration, especially illegal immigration which has turned into a humanitarian crisis as hundreds lost their lives.
Experts criticize the EU for handling the issue mainly from a security perspective rather than addressing the humanitarian aspect.
According to Eurostat, 80 percent of the 1.1 million rise in Europe's population as of January 1, 2013 originated from immigration, while Frontex said 350,000 people lived in the US illegally in 2012. This draws attention to EU's immigration policy which already tops the agenda after the Lampedusa crisis which resulted in the death of 366 illegal migrants.
"More legal ways of entry, more effective to dry out the illegal migration"
Member of European Parliament and candidate for Member of the Group of the Greens Ska Keller told AA that the current EU policy of sealing off borders against migrants and refugees had resulted in an unacceptable policy for deciding whom to let in.
"A Darwinist survival of the fittest is the guiding principle for both refugees and migrants."
Keller stated that for refugees the EU had to follow a humanitarian approach by utilizing the option of humanitarian visas provided by the EU Visa Code much more extensively, particularly for vulnerable refugees such as children, pregnant women and traumatized persons.
"For migrants," added Keller, "EU needed a more open approach in Europe."
Keller also mentioned that the measures that the EU currently taking after Lampedusa crisis were not very effective. "The more difficult the EU makes for people to reach EU territory the more it actually fosters the dirty and illegal business of smuggling," said Keller, adding that notwithstanding the need to fight smuggling and trafficking of humanbeings, providing more legal ways of entry for refugees and migrants would be more effective to dry out the illegal business.
"No short term solutions"
Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe Elizabeth Collett said that there were no easy answers and short term solution for addressing the root causes of irregular migration, and the smuggling industry that facilitates migration.
Collett said that there are deep drivers for illegal migration – poverty, lack of economic opportunity or political freedom, civil unrest, and war.
"European governments can work with migrant-sending countries over the long term to foster development, increase in job opportunities, etc."
Collett also said that the EU and member states had to act in a more concerted way against human traffickers and smugglers, rather than the ad hoc efforts that currently take place.
Following the Lampedusa tragedy, the EU's migration policy was criticized by international community. Thereupon, the EU Commission established a special taskforce to follow up the illegal immigration case, and held a summit on 24-25 October during which the leaders decided to found "Eurosur", the news border protection system. Nevertheless, many see those measures as ineffective, as they ignore the humanitarian dimension.
UN Special Raporteur Francois Crepeau's report on human rights of immigrants pointed out that the EU did not spend enough effort to protect lives of the immigrants, as it approached the issue from security perspective, rather than humanitarian one.
