The migration crisis – is this a failure of European or international governance?

The topic this paper will discuss is the extent to which European governance and International governance has failed in light of the migration crisis. The roles that Europe and the International community have played in responding to the crisis will be contrasted, and the efforts being made to combat the challenges that have arisen due to civil conflicts in the Middle East will be considered. The success, or non-success of these efforts will be highlighted, alongside what governance is doing now to tackle this crisis. The effects that this crisis has had, both Internationally and through Europe will be analysed the failure of EU governance in light of the sheer lack of unity in response to refugees seeking asylum on EU shores shall be put to criticism. Europe and International governance has failed on many counts. Not only this, but policy-makers that claim to represent the best interests of humanity have sacrificed human rights for the sake of misguided judgements and paranoia-fuelled state security.

In 2015, Europe saw an influx of refugees fleeing Syria and the conflicts that have arisen since the Arab spring in 2011. The Assad family, vying for power over Syria, fought the Syrian people who were trying to rise against the tyranny that their country has faced for many years. This sparked a huge civil war, in which many innocent civilians had no choice but to flee, or stay in the midst of a war-zone. Many migrants began travelling to Europe across the Mediterranean sea, along with many refugees from surrounding countries, from Eastern Europe, and from Africa. The Dublin Regulation states that the first EU state that a refugee sets foot in is responsible to deal with those individuals' cases of asylum. However, many countries simply could not handle this sudden flood of migrants. Take for example, Greece, who is in their own economic crisis. Instead of banding together, the member states of the European Union only became more separated; Germany supporting granting asylum to the refugees and other member states taking a different stance to the situation. This has created animosity within the European Community, but with better preparation and a less hostile response, perhaps EU governance could have prevailed. It begs the question, what procedures are actually in place to help alleviate the pressure of the sudden influx of refugees?

Though there is no formal, multilateral institutional framework to govern the global flow of migrants, states are increasingly exploring how to work collectively to make migration a more legal, orderly, and mutually beneficial process. Co-operation on migration management has been growing steadily, involving both state and non-state actors via regional dialogues, bilateral agreements, and the creation of international initiatives such as the Global Forum on Migration and Development.







Although seldom found on mainstream media, there are a few international organisations that are devoted to the recognition of migration as part of the global agenda. For example, there is the International Migration Institute; an organisation committed to developing a long-term and forward-looking perspective on international migration as part of global change.[	 http://www.imi.ox.ac.uk]

The IOM, however, seems to be the most prominent today. The international organisation for migration is the leading inter-governmental organisation in the field of migration and has been active since its establishment in 1951. The IOM works in four broad areas of migration management. These are - Migration and development, Facilitating migration, Regulating migration and Forced migration. But what are the IOM doing in response to Syria and the current crisis?

The Turkish government recently announced the new Regulation on Provision of Work Permits for People under Temporary Protection on the 15th January 2016. A Provision that serves to grant work permits to Syrians registered with the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) and others under temporary protection in Turkey.[	 http://www.iom.int/news/iom-welcomes-turkeys-new-regulation-grant-work-permits-syrians-under-temporary-protection ] Alongside this cooperation, the IOM have liaised with the Turkish government and have been granted permission to undertake an 18 month long project supporting labour migration; a project funded by the UK Embassy.

To put it very simply, Europe's handling of the migration crisis in terms of preparation and response is unsatisfactory. There are very few European organisations that are pro-actively involving themselves with the crisis in Syria - Though there are plenty of data sources that allow an individual to compare the migration data of countries within the EU; Eurostat[	http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics], the projections from the Office of National Statistics[	http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/key-topics/population], and statistics in the Migration Statistics briefing paper released by British Parliament[	www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn06077.pdf ].

Throughout 2015, Germany accepted 1.1million applications for asylum,[	http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/31/merkel-urges-germans-to-see-refugee-arrivals-as-an-opportunity-in-new-year-address] which caused a stir between the political elites and society, making the solution for the Migration Crisis in the most affected country in Europe incredibly difficult to find. It sadly seems that by being so open and liberal toward asylum seekers, Germany have caused more trouble for themselves as well as for the rest of Europe. Malte Lehming wrote for the National Interest that “the refugees are here, they have to be integrated. But the way forward is shrouded in fog.” According to a poll by the Allensbach Institute, nearly 50 percent of Germans are afraid of voicing their opinion of the refugee crisis.[	 sputniknews.com/europe/20160108/1032829871/germany-migrant-crisis.html ]

This migration crisis has shown how, when put under pressure, the European Union acts more like a corporate entity than politico-economic union. It’s also exposed the fact that the EU may have fallen behind in international diplomacy and has displayed very little concern for human rights. Immigration in the EU seems to be viewed as more of a political security risk than a beneficial policy. In fact, for a lot of Europe and the United States with a push from Western and European media, terrorism fears have sparked a rise in right-wing extremism and xenophobia, giving opportunity to terrorist groups in the Middle East; most notably Daesh, or ISIS as they are also known. In this sense, Western Media have simply added petrol to the already infernal flames in Syria and other Middle Eastern territories. And what of Operation Mare Nostrum? An operation funded by the European Commission and put in place to grant safer passage to vulnerable migrants, and as soon as it actually begins to show strength in governance, the decision is made to cease the operation to act as a deterrent for any future refugees. In practise though, things did not work out this way, only highlighting the bad judgement of Europe's response to the migration crisis.

C J Polychroniou, a political economist and scientist suggests that the European Union’s approach towards migration is grossly flawed and that the solution for its refugee crisis necessitates the adoption of a more “harmonious” migration policy. Put simply, Polychroniou suggests that the EU needs a policy that takes into account both the needs of refugees and those of member states.[	 www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/08/refugee-crisis-exposes-massive-flaws-eu-governance-150826115439854.html ]  However, this has simply not been the case. It was an image that went viral of the body of a young child, laying dead having been washed upon the shore in Turkey, that truly sparked more of an uprise amongst the people. This effect is not that of any form of governance, but the sheer power of social media.

A leading EU official has stated that the migration crisis may be fatal for the Schengen
agreement. The European council president Donald Tusk also brought up alongside his warning, the fact that EU member states had “no more than months” to handle the migration crisis. Right now the EU is struggling to organise over 1 million refugees to its own detriment. Tusk took to twitter in what seems to be an attempt to add weight to his words, saying that “Civilisations die from suicide, not murder” and “Europe is strong”. In response: Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister has told journalists that closing the borders and limiting the efficacy of the Schengen agreement concerning German borders will only exacerbate the situation and will prove completely insufficient in solving the migration crisis[	http://www.dw.com/en/schengen-to-fail-in-months-if-migration-crisis-not-under-control-says-tusk/a-18989697]. The looming jeopardy of the EU freedom of movement is a not-so-shining example of the failure of European governance and comes after many more failures in response to the migration crisis. How can European governance succeed if Europe fails to act as a united entity? The answer to this question is short: it can't.

 To conclude, The migration crisis was sparked by an insufficient standard of international governance and it is maintained by an insufficient standard of response and preparation of European and Western governance. No one side is solely to blame for the dire situation that now threatens Europe that has spread from the Middle East, but we must rise together and unite if we hope to overcome the crisis. If it weren't for the Western interference in the Middle East for the past 15 years, would countries such as Syria, Iran and Iraq be victim to this civil turmoil that they are experiencing today? It is not my intention to argue the 'ifs and buts'. The last 15 years speak for themselves. I am not saying that humans are only destructive. Humans have achieved much good on this planet. One can only hope that humans can continue to make a positive impact through just and unified governance.