How immigration is dominating politics across Europe

Richard Windsor, The Week UK
Thu, December 14, 2023 

Migrants rescued near Malta.

Emmanuel Macron has suffered one of the biggest setbacks in his six years as French president after his immigration bill was thrown out of parliament without even being heard.

Macron's bill, which was intended to show he "can take tough measures on migration while keeping France’s doors open to foreign workers who can help the economy", was defeated in a preliminary vote earlier this week, said The Guardian. It was an "unprecedented show of unity" between opposing sides of parliament who came together to defeat the bill, because it proved too extreme for the left and not far-reaching enough for the right, said Gavin Mortimer in The Spectator.

But France is far from the only European government being "menaced" by the issue of migration. Like Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives, "the divisions within Macron's party have been exposed by the question" of how to deal with high levels of migration. And like the British prime minister, leaders across Europe are desperately trying to find solutions to the issue.

What are countries in Europe doing?

Many countries across Europe have tightened their border controls in the wake of growing immigration numbers. France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Sweden are among those beefing up security on certain borders, which usually allow for free, unfettered movement under the Schengen agreement.

The measures taken by Germany led to the number of illegal migrants falling "sharply" last month, said The Telegraph, with the issue one of the "fiercest public debates" currently taking place in the country. There is also a "major shift in tone" from the German government on immigration compared to the Angela Merkel era, with the Olaf Scholz-led coalition government introducing stricter measures along land borders.

There are "echoes" of the UK government's Rwanda plan in proposals made by Germany’s centre-right opposition, and Merkel's former party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is demanding a "sweeping overhaul of asylum rules", said Politico. It is suggesting asylum seekers entering Europe be "relocated to 'safe third countries'" where their applications will be processed. While the UK's Rwanda plan remains "mired in legal challenges", the German proposal would be extremely tough to implement given it would need the other EU members to agree to it.

The Italian government has meanwhile also set up a similar Rwanda-style scheme with non-EU Albania. In this instance, Albania will collect illegal migrants, men only, headed for Italy in boat crossings and process their applications at detention centres there. However, the agreement remains limited by EU law, which means only migrants picked up in non-EU waters can be processed in this manner. The policy too has been strongly criticised, with Amnesty International calling it "illegal" and "unworkable".

What is the EU doing?

The EU earlier this year signed a deal with Tunisia that it hoped would stem the flow of illegal migrants close to the source. The bloc was hoping the deal would act as a "template" that could be applied to other North African countries, said Politico, in which it would show "cash is king" in convincing these nations to help prevent illegal boat crossings.

But that deal appears to have stalled due to "escalating tensions" between Brussels and Tunisia, which handed back €60 million in funding over "dissatisfaction" with the European Commission.

Is there a long-term solution?

European leaders are united by the fear that a "botched policy on migration will cost them their jobs", said The Economist, and currently there is "little prospect for improvement" in stopping people smugglers from sending migrants to Europe. But leaders across the continent should be wary that "tomorrow it may be politely inviting in much the same people it is today letting drown", as it continues to try to tackle a Europe-wide labour shortage.

With that in mind, a "sensible remedy" to mass illegal immigration would be to "regulate and organise it", said Sylvie Kauffmann in the Financial Times. Immigration, which has consistently grown since the turn of the century, is a "global phenomenon which will not be stopped", she added, and regulating it to fill the "hard-to-fill jobs" will begin to combat the expanding issue of stagnant economic growth and an increasingly elderly population.