Are there contradictions between Eastern Europe and Western Europe?

The contradiction between East and West Europe has become "open" and the internal cracks in the EU have deepened.

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On February 18, the two-day EU Summit kicked off at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. How to effectively deal with the refugee crisis is an important topic of this summit. Some analysts believe that due to the unilateralism and clique within the EU, it is still difficult to form an effective solution except for another verbal confrontation at this summit.

According to the latest statistics released by the International Organization for Migration, in the first six weeks of 20 16, more than 76,000 refugees have arrived in Europe, 25 times the number of refugees who entered Europe in the same period last year. The organization is worried that more refugees will flood into Europe as the weather gets warmer. Some commentators even think that the EU is at the most critical moment. If the uncontrolled refugee flow cannot be controlled before the arrival of spring, the EU may cease to exist.

Strengthen cooperation with Turkey

Diversion of refugees at the "door"

On June 16, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she would "make every effort" at this summit to persuade the leaders to agree to implement the cooperation agreement reached between the EU and Turkey as soon as possible, and provide more help to Turkey, and send refugees directly from Turkey to EU countries according to the quota.

Turkey borders Syria, and the vast majority of Syrian refugees who go to Europe go to Turkey first, and then find opportunities to sneak into Greek islands from the Aegean Sea. According to the Turkish Morning Post, there are at least 2.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. Recently, 28 EU countries agreed to an agreement reached between the EU and Turkey last June, 165438+ 10. According to the agreement, the EU will provide 3 billion euros of aid funds to Turkey to help it improve the living conditions of refugees, while Turkey will strengthen border control and help the EU identify and repatriate illegal immigrants who are not qualified as refugees.

According to Euronews TV, because some EU countries doubt whether Turkey can fully fulfill its commitments, the funds are not fully in place. Merkel believes that cooperation with Turkey is a way worth trying. Only by taking measures to restrict the movement outside the EU border can we effectively resist the impact of the refugee tide. Some analysts pointed out that Merkel still pursues the policy of "opening the door" to refugees. Different from the past, it is time to control the number of refugees entering the EU, let those refugees who need help most enter the EU, and those who make up the number will be repatriated.

Eastern European countries set up their own "defense lines"

Few people answered the "open door" policy.

"At this EU summit, the loneliest person is Merkel." Agence France-Presse recently reported that Merkel's "open door" policy towards refugees is out of date when more and more EU member States want to "close the door" to refugees, which has not only been openly confronted by Eastern European countries, but also the attitudes of France, Austria and other countries that previously expressed their support for the "open door" policy are changing.

Just before the EU summit, the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia held the Visegrad Group Summit in Prague, the Czech capital, to discuss how to deal with the refugee crisis. After the meeting, Czech Prime Minister sobotka announced on behalf of the group that if Greece and Turkey cannot limit the number of refugees entering Europe, the four eastern European countries will support Macedonia to strengthen border control measures with Greece to curb the influx of refugees into the European inland.

Since last year, the vast majority of refugees who arrived in Greece have taken the "Western Balkan Road" to Western Europe and Nordic countries, which runs through Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary from southeast to northwest. It is reported that Macedonia's so-called control measures to strengthen the border with Greece are to build a "Macedonian defense line", block the border with Greece, and cut off the passage of refugees into Western European and Nordic countries.

Visegrad Group represents the interests of eastern European countries and has serious differences with western European countries on the refugee issue. Under the vigorous promotion of Merkel, the EU implemented a quota system for its member states last year. However, under the opposition and boycott of Visegrad Group, less than 500 of the 0/0.6 million refugees in Italy and Greece were "claimed" by other EU member States.

At first, in the face of the refugee crisis, eight countries including Germany, France and Austria expressed their willingness to "open their doors". However, today, France believes that Germany's refugee policy is "unsustainable" and it is necessary to strengthen border control. Austria, on the other hand, completely leans to the side of Eastern European countries, not only setting its own refugee reception ceiling, but also sending troops to the border between Macedonia and Greece to help strengthen border control.

The refugee policy is "hot and cold"

The "political division" has intensified.

Chris paulette, a senior policy official of the European Refugee Council, told this reporter that the EU has the ability to solve the refugee crisis, but it needs a political breakthrough. "I pessimistically believe that it is difficult to make a breakthrough at this summit, and there is no doubt that it is a chaotic war of words. The degree of' political division' in the EU this year will be more serious than that in 20 15 years. "

In the face of the surging tide of refugees, war of words broke out between EU member states from time to time. Rich countries in Western Europe and Northern Europe accused Central and Eastern European countries of failing to properly resettle refugees, which led to a large influx of refugees into Western Europe and Northern Europe. Central and Eastern European countries retort that the refugee policies of some countries in Western Europe and Northern Europe have led to the current refugee crisis. While the refugee crisis has "torn" East and West Europe, almost all member States are accusing Greece of failing to hold the "southern gate" of the EU, allowing a large influx of refugees. Greece, on the other hand, criticized other EU countries for "paying lip service" and failing to provide Greece with the help it deserves to deal with the refugee crisis.

"Due to political, economic and cultural differences, there are many differences between East and West Europe, but in the main theme of European integration in the past 20 years, this difference has been concealed." Elizabeth Crete, director of the European Institute of Immigration Policy, said in an interview with this reporter that the refugee crisis made the contradiction between East and West Europe open and deepened the rift between East and West Europe.