A multi-meter fence separating refugees from Europe
Sweden: the most open to migrants
Sweden's refugee policy, compared to other EU countries, can be described as fairly open. Taking into account Sweden's population (9.6 million) and the number of refugees it accepts, the country ranks at the very top among European countries. After Germany, it is the country that most migrants seek to reach. In 2014, 81,300 people applied for asylum there; 30,600 applications were approved that same year.
Applicants from Syria have the best chance of obtaining official refugee status in Sweden. As for foreign policy, the Swedish government has long called for a more even and fair distribution of refugees across all EU countries.
The main idea adopted in Sweden is to provide migrants with access to the local labor market and integrate them as quickly as possible. Special language courses, country studies lessons, job-oriented courses and internships can help with this.
However, despite such active efforts, Sweden is no longer able to cope with the problems. Housing shortages, excessive strain on small communities, unemployment among migrants – and the more politicians try to integrate refugees, the more serious the rift in Swedish society becomes. This in turn will affect election results: according to recent polls, about 20 percent of the population already supports the right-wing populist, critically-minded toward migrants, Sweden Democrats party.
The Netherlands: Europe's toughest migration policy
Despite serious criticism from human rights activists, for example from Human Rights Watch, the Netherlands adopted the toughest legislation in the EU on political asylum in 2010. At least two out of three asylum applications in the Netherlands are rejected. After that, refugees are given 28 days to leave the country.
Refugees awaiting a decision are provided only with the bare essentials: the Dutch call it 'bed, bath, and bread.' After spending the night in a shelter and having breakfast, refugees must return to the streets. If someone, despite these conditions, does not wish to return to their home country, they lose the right to even that minimal support and are left without shelter and food.
German courts often decide not to deport refugees who have illegally crossed the German border back to the Netherlands, because they risk becoming homeless there. A similar practice applies to Italy or Greece.
The Netherlands treats Somalis especially harshly: it is the first EU country that has been deporting refugees back to Somalia since 2013. Despite this, more and more refugees are arriving in the Netherlands. By the end of July this year, 26,000 people had arrived in the country – more than in all of 2014. Most of them are refugees from Syria and Eritrea.
Austria: the coveted Alpine republic
Austria – relative to its population, which currently stands at 8.4 million – is one of the most popular countries among migrants fleeing to Europe. In the first half of 2015, 27,000 asylum applications were submitted in this country. This is three times the number of applications filed in the same period last year. Most refugees arrive in Austria from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Due to the sharp increase in the number of refugees, Austria is facing new problems: the refugee issue is becoming political. In the future, the Austrian government plans, by amending the constitution, to force federal states and municipalities to accept new refugees if necessary. In some states, such plans provoke resistance and even protests under xenophobic slogans. This plays into the hands of, for example, right-wing populists from the Freedom Party of Austria. In response, people across Austria are uniting to support refugees.
The Ministry of the Interior is looking for private apartments whose owners are willing to house those awaiting a decision on asylum. Small Austrian communities are converting boarding houses and hotels into refugee accommodation centers. Volunteers are organizing free language courses.
Poland: Christians only, please
Ukraine, Russia, Tajikistan – it is mainly from these countries that asylum seekers arrive in Poland. In 2014, 8,020 people applied – much fewer than a year earlier. Almost half of all refugees are Russian citizens, most of them (91 percent) from Chechnya. However, only 325 Russians were granted asylum in Poland in 2014. More than a quarter of refugees are Ukrainian citizens; in total, 2,200 people fled from Ukraine to Poland last year.
The conditions refugees face in Poland are regularly criticized by human rights activists. Although each is provided with shelter, most refugee reception centers are located in remote areas, in former military units or sanatoriums. Thus, activists believe, migrants have virtually no opportunity for contact with local residents.
The refugee issue also sparks heated debate in Polish society: after the country announced its decision to help Greece and Italy by accepting 2,000 refugees, several protest rallies organized by nationalist groups took place in Poland. But it's not only radical nationalists who are prejudiced: according to recent polls, 70 percent of Poles believe that refugees from Islamic or African countries should not be accepted. At the same time, they have nothing against Christian refugees from Syria.
Spain: no longer the 'gateway to Europe'
Until recently, a multitude of migrants tried to storm the Spanish enclaves in North Africa – Ceuta and Melilla – to then move on to Europe. However, for almost three months now, Spain has ceased to be a popular "gateway to Europe" for migrants and refugees. According to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex, in 2014, 7,800 people entered Spanish territory illegally – quite a few compared to 2006 data, when there were 39,000 illegal immigrants in Spain.
Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims this is the result of joint work with Morocco's border service. Additionally, Spain has concluded agreements on the deportation of illegal immigrants with countries such as Senegal, Mauritania, and Nigeria, which, according to the ministry, deters many migrants from attempting to enter Spanish territory.
Currently, the largest flows of refugees come from crisis regions such as Syria or Iraq, through the eastern Mediterranean or the Balkans. Therefore, Spain now finds itself off the main migration routes.
Unlike Germany, illegal stay in Spain is not a criminal offense but an administrative violation. In initial reception centers for refugees, migrants cannot stay for more than 60 days. If an inspection reveals that an illegal migrant had been in another EU country before arriving in Spain, according to the Dublin III regulation, they are sent back to that country to apply for asylum.