According to the BBC around 3000 refugees are reported to have died trying to make the crossing to Europe and over 710 000 migrants have entered the EU this year. According to Frontex (The European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union) the Greek islands have faced a massive migratory pressure as 350 000 migrants have arrived during this year. In comparison for example in Italy the number of migrants that have arrived this year is 12 000.
The current discourse has turned into conversations on how the EU could stop refugees from arriving into the EU areas. It has been expressed that Turkey should prevent refugees from traveling through Turkey into Europe, by giving Turkey access to the Schengen area and by providing the country with 3.4 billion euros of aid. According to the current proposals the EU is willing to “re-energize” the conversation about Turkey’s entry into the EU. SONK thinks these kind of ideas are dubious, as the EU is basically trying to bribe Turkey to take complete responsibility for the refugees that want to come to Europe in search for a better life. We think that the EU has the resources to take in a larger number of refugees.
According to The Finnish Immigration Service, 15 000 asylum seekers will apply for asylum in Finland during the year 2015. The Parliament of Finland decides annually in connection with the approval of the state budget how many quota refugees Finland will undertake to accept. For years the number of quota refugees accepted by Finland has been around 750 persons per year. Because of the Syria crisis in 2014 and 2015 the number has been increased to 1050.
“It is absurd that the number of people applying for asylum is so big compared to the number of quota refugees Finland accepts. Quota refugees enter the country through a strictly regulated process and they have been waiting for asylum for the longest time. Therefore the number of quota refugees accepted in Finland should be increased, so that more people would have a legal and safe path to their new home country”, states Hanna Huumonen, the president of Social Democratic Students in Finland.
The EU should also have a common system to control the refugee crisis. A system that would divide the refugees between the member states, based upon a sensible criteria, like population or GDP. Countries should aim to integrate their refugees and afterwards the integrated refugees can move elsewhere in Europe in search for work or whatever other reasons they may have.
Increasing the number of quota refugees accepted and a fair division of asylum seekers in the EU area are the only ways we can solve the refugee crisis. Also integrating the newcomers is of critical importance.
More information:
Hanna Huumonen
President
Social Democratic Students in Finland – SONK
puheenjohtaja@sonk.fi
0451129299