ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: THE MODERN PANDORA’S BOX FOR EUROPEAN PEOPLES

ILLEGAL  IMMIGRATION

THE MODERN PANDORA’S BOX FOR EUROPEAN PEOPLES

Nassia Michalopoulou , Journalist (A.E.J), President  of EURONEM

The illegal immigration is a great challenge for the cohesion of Europe.

Year after year, its dimensions become more and more extensive and due to it the insecurity of Europeans becomes more and more acute.

What is the tolerable limit of illegal immigration, beyond which Europe is threatened with collapse of social cohesion?

The phenomenon is an issue of top priority on the European agenda.

New sources of immigration flows are added to the older ones: the countries of   Eastern Europe few years then , countries of the Corn of Africa at the present.

Geopolitical  re-structuring of whole regions, wars, conflicts, poverty, lack of natural   resources.

There seem to be three main approaches: the concept of Europe-fortress, the policy of open gates as emotional compensation for the colonial past, the policy of quotas for the acceptable numbers of immigrants.

The problem of Greece is that the country is at the crossroad of three continents, with extended sea borders and lacks a well-planned long-term strategy about the management of immigration (registration of incomers, preparation of recep tion, the creation of a legality framework for the residence of immigrants, organi zation of appropriate infrastructure for social care).

The black labour market becomes the Trojan horse which leads to the violation of   labour legislation in favour of  provision of workers’ rights.

The ghettoization of whole districts and the segmentation of the society are intensified.

PROPOSALS

The exit from the recession, the solution of environmental crisis and the prevention of illegal immigration   are of high priority in Europe.

Particularly in case of Greece, whose borders are external borders of EU, the refusal of Turkey to implement the agreement for deportation of illegal immigrants escalates tension in Greek-Turkish relations.

It is urgent for EU to create Borders-Guard, prosecution of criminal activities about trafficking and, mainly, the dramatical increase of funds for development projects in countries needing them to reinforce social cohesion and deter people from immigration and the search of an uncertain future.

Recently, last month, the biggest European School opened in a sub-Saharan country, Zambia, thanks to fund-raising organized by EURONEM and Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

We will conclude with a question pertinent to all aforementioned:

How do we define the borders of Europe and what are the conditions for the integration after successive enlargements?