Page 18 - Aequitas Europa

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so”. 73 Secondly, there is great concern regarding The EU is seen as a beacon of hope to those fleeing war,
oversight, checks and balances in relation to the persecution, economic turmoil and other push factors
processing of asylum applications. Several examples of that cause them to leave their own shores in search of a
instances drawn from Oxfam include; interviews better life. However, whilst this crisis continues, it does
conducted using terms which fail to elicit interviewees’ appear that the EU is failing to live up to expectations as
stories, incoherent and everchanging procedures a place of refuge and safety. However, the financial
involving the admissibility of identity documentation, and efforts in allocating 17.7bn to tackle the issue shows that
74
a lack of cultural sensitivity and understanding. These the matter is being taken seriously, but is money enough?
critical points raised by Oxfam in relation to the EU- And is that money filtering through to the right places?
Turkey statement highlight the very real problems that The extreme loss of life at sea combined with the criticism
occur when implementing knee-jerk policies to tackle a dealt towards the EU-Turkey statement suggests not, but
crisis on a scale such as this. They also raise concern over the numbers of those who have made safe passage and
whether the priority of the EU is to ensure the safety of are being offered asylum are continuously increasing. In a
those who have made the crossing into Europe, or to shift crisis as big as this, only time will tell how well the EU fares
the burden elsewhere and alleviate themselves of the in extending the human rights which it proudly promotes
influx of people altogether. to those who need them most.
There are many who believe that the best solution to this
problem is to tackle the economic issues that states in the Students:
MENA region are facing. The idea of rebuilding economies A.A.
13022945
which have been demolished by conflict is (however) a
long-term solution to a problem which is escalating I.S.
rapidly. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni predicted 12945756

that such a course of action “may take decades”, and that

“an important first step is to shift migration from
75
smugglers and into legal routes”. As we have seen so
far, the EU’s attempts to shift migration towards legal
routes will likely see the movement of people away from
Europe and into Turkey, Libya and anywhere else policy-
76
makers have been able to strike a migrancy deal with. In
the example of Libya, there is no certainty as to the
treatment of refugees and asylum seekers by human
77
rights standards afforded to those within the EU.

73 https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bn-eu-turkey- 75 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/01/24/greece-italy-demand-
statement-migration-170317-en.pdf paragraph 8
74 https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bn-eu-turkey- eu-takes-immigrants-gives-aid-marshall-plan/
76 https://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bn-eu-turkey-
statement-migration-170317-en.pdf page 4.
statement-migration-170317-en.pdf page 2, paragraph 6
77 ibid