Brussels is trying to find a solution acceptable to everyone for the sharply exacerbated refugee problem
It is clear that given such huge numbers, Brussels simply must make changes to the current policy towards refugees. One of the fundamentally new proposals submitted to the European Commission is the development of a new status for refugees.
This idea was proposed by President of the European Parliament, German social democrat Martin Schulz. The politician spoke in favor of creating a new legal status for staying in Europe, in addition to political asylum for refugees. "We are currently extending the system of political protection to all people: both those who wish to immigrate to Europe temporarily and refugees. In my opinion, this is wrong," the politician noted in an interview with the German press.
Thus, Martin Schulz is confident that many people come to the European continent who do not want to stay here for long. In particular, he mentioned refugees from civil war-torn Syria. "These citizens want neither political asylum nor immigrant status. That is why we should grant political asylum only to those who are truly politically persecuted," believes the head of the European Parliament.
Furthermore, the German politician spoke in favor of introducing special quotas for the distribution of refugees among different EU countries. At the same time, he cited the example of the United States and Canada, where legal immigration depends on the socio-economic needs of the country. "Some European Union states are well situated", sending illegal immigrants to neighboring countries or simply turning a blind eye to their presence, the head of the European Parliament complained. In his opinion, the introduction of strict quotas for receiving refugees in the EU "will give, if not guarantees, then at least a real chance for immigration." "Today we are simply abandoning refugees, deprived of any hope, to the mercy of smugglers and are effectively pushing them into the hands of criminals," Martin Schulz notes.
As Russkaya Germaniya notes, federal politicians also appealed to Brussels at the end of April with their proposals for a "fair distribution" of refugees among EU countries. As German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated, Europe must develop a "new system for asylum seekers, because the existing rules no longer work."