The massive influx of migrants has led to the introduction of the border checks
The exponential rise in the inflow of migrants from both African and Middle Eastern countries is threatening to destabilise the law and order in the country and has forced the Swedish authorities to impose temporary border exercises, which will be put into effect on Thursday, around midday local time. At first, it will continue for 10 days. Even after the already large migrant intake throughout this year, Sweden is expected to receive another 200,000 in the last few months of 2015, which is so far, the largest per head of population amongst all other European /union nations.
Image: AFP
The Interior Minister of Sweden, Anders Ygeman, commented regarding the decision, “The centre-left government has acted in order to obtain security and stability… not to limit the number of asylum seekers, but to get better control of the flow of asylum seekers to Sweden.” This comes on the background of the Summit, recently concluded in Malta, with EU and African leadership discussing the course of action to organize the migrant influx. Amongst the hundreds of thousands of travelling migrants, in their attempt to reach a haven after escaping their war-torn countries, sever thousand have lost their lives in capsized boats and other harsh travel conditions, while hundreds of others have lost their way. Most recently, a boat carrying around 40 Syrian passengers wrecked near Turkey, leaving 14 dead, out of which 7 were children.
Naturally, most EU nations are struggling to cope and Sweden has, so far, along with Germany, been willing to take refugees in large numbers. However, Sweden has gestured to other harried countries like Hungary to ‘take up the responsibility’ like Germany and itself, with its decision. Said the Mr. Ygeman, “Our signal to the rest of the EU is crystal clear – Sweden is the country that has shouldered the greatest responsibility for the refugee crisis. If we are to cope with this mutual challenge, the other countries must take their responsibility.”
The control process to be introduced will involve the registrations of migrants and hence, avoid illegal immigrants. The immigration offices in border regions are collecting refugees from the borders in public buses and taking them to the offices, but they often never take the process ahead and merely flee. Thus, with these discrepancies in mind, EU leaders are coming to massive financial agreements with African leaders for aid in handling the migrant crisis. This is especially since the EU has seen the arrival of 150,000 immigrants from African counties like Somalia and Nigeria. The goal in mind of these policy-makers is to control the economic and security problems faced by them due to failed asylum seekers and hence, this comes as a request to Africa to take back these illegal migrants.
Moreover, the gravity of the crisis is causing incessant tensions amongst the EU nations, since Italy, Hungary and Greece are the three countries who receive the migrants from the Mediterranean in the first leg of their journey. Buckling under the increasing pressures, Hungary and Croatia have initiated the construction of obstacles so as to bar the incoming migrants. In addition, an unreasonable relocation policy has been put into action throughout the EU. Germany has said that it would send some refugee groups back to the first country they entered in the EU, instigating a spat with Hungary and Italy.
The repercussions of wars that have lasted for years, with millions of people waiting for asylum, the EU is under mounting pressure to accommodate refugees. It is only in this light that extreme policies need to be put into place.
Source: BBC
Tags: Migrant issue migrants Sweden
