Anne Applebaum: How to Regain Control of Europe

This article is an updated version of an article written before the attacks. Objectively speaking, the unprecedented, bloody terrorist attacks in Paris on

Source: How to Regain Control of Europe

At the deepest level, the refugee crisis has unsettled people because it seems that Europe has lost control of this problem. This sense has been building ever since the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, unilaterally decided to change Europe’s asylum rules in the summer. Merkel’s gesture—hugely popular in Germany at the time—immediately encouraged thousands more people to make the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean. Despite colder weather, some 250,000 refugees every month—8,000 per day—are now entering the European Union, desperate to get in while they still can, overwhelming refugee services in even the most generous countries. As a result of this influx, Europe’s Schengen Agreement which eliminates borders between those countries that are members, is under mortal threat… Compassion is vital, and the victims of Syria’s brutal war cannot be forgotten. Eventually it may even be possible to resettle some of them inside the EU But they need to be supported, accepted, and invited in an orderly manner, as Europe has historically accepted refugees in the past. There isn’t a choice. If Europe itself becomes dysfunctional, then Europe will be incapable of helping anyone else.

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