Views on European refugee crisis

Recently, the EU was caught in a rainy night. It has not yet emerged from the debt crisis, and has fallen into another more worrying crisis: the refugee crisis. In recent two days, the picture of a 3-year-old Syrian refugee on the Mediterranean beach has attracted the attention of the whole world and become a tragic portrayal of this refugee crisis.

If the Ukrainian crisis tests the starting point of European integration-peace and reconciliation, and the debt crisis tests the fruits of integration-unity is strength, then the refugee crisis directly tests the conscience of Europe-how does Europe deal with refugees fleeing the civil wars in Syria and Libya? Many refugees died tragically on the way to escape, which has become a huge humanitarian disaster.

Why is it so far? The crisis first exposed the loopholes in European integration, such as the lack of a unified border security policy, which turned a blind eye to immigration because of the demand for labor. But this time, it is not a question of immigration, but a refugee who cannot be repatriated and must be protected. So can the EU grant them political asylum? After the debt crisis broke out, the phenomenon of wrangling within the EU became more and more obvious. For example, in 20 13, the EU adopted the Dublin Agreement, which stipulated that illegal immigrants could be sent back to the first EU country they entered. However, Greece, Italy and other Mediterranean countries complain that they are only in transit, and the final destination of illegal immigrants is Germany and Northern Europe, so they ask the latter to contribute to help solve this problem.

This crisis is also a portrayal of the EU's inability to protect itself. EU countries are keen on exporting soft power, while the United States is obsessed with instigating the Syrian civil war. Now a large number of refugees are pouring into Europe, which is self-defeating.

This kind of good-neighborly policy, which is keen on promoting EU values, is obviously unsustainable, and many problems will arise in the long run.

The refugee crisis has also tested the core values that Europe has been proud of since modern times-freedom, equality and fraternity. The Schengen Agreement of the European Union facilitates the free flow of labor, but it also facilitates the entry of immigrants and refugees. Among them, refugees cannot be repatriated, and it is difficult to refuse political asylum requests. As many refugees are Muslims, stimulated by events such as Charlie Hebdo in recent years, the refugee issue has become a politically correct issue. It can't be digested and can't be shut up, which makes the EU in a dilemma.

The refugee crisis is only one aspect of many crises facing the EU. If the EU wants to "seek opportunities in the crisis", it needs to change its mentality from a big perspective and re-recognize itself and the world. First of all, advantages and disadvantages can be transformed into each other. The EU's past first-Mover advantage may become today's disadvantage, and of course today's disadvantage may also become tomorrow's advantage. Second, the internal and external trends are transformed. As the EU continues to expand, it gradually internalizes external challenges. But where is the end of expansion? Now the major EU countries should not only manage themselves, but also their neighbors. This will, of course, lead to the situation that the EU cannot be immune.

The Mediterranean Sea was once called "the footbath of God", but now it has become the grave of illegal immigrants or refugees. At this point, it is worthwhile for the EU to reflect on whether it will blindly follow the United States to interfere in other countries, and the result will be "shooting itself in the foot". It is conceivable that if the EU continues to be a "follower" of the United States, then similar crises will continue.