The European elections (May 26) will be an opportunity to debate many essential themes and make choices.
But to decide, one must or should have knowledge of the contents of the issues discussed or, at least, know what we are talking about.
Which, unfortunately, is not always the case!
According to opinion research institutes, the theme of immigration is considered central by European citizens.
This is why we return to it with a series of articles that can foster reflection and debate.
Facilitating the Integration of Migrants into African Economies
by Carmen Gonzales Enriquez, professor in the political science department at the Universidad de Educaciรณn a Distancia (Uned), in Madrid, and researcher at the Real Instituto Elcano
We must start from a premise often forgotten: European states do not have the capacity to impose peace or respect for human rights in countries at war or under dictatorship. The situation in developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, will therefore continue to provoke the flight of people seeking safer or freer living conditions. Long-term solutions that are sustainable both economically and politically must be imagined, facilitating the lives of those forced to leave their countries and that are fairer than the current situation where only 10% of refugees live in rich countries and all others in developing countries.
Several fields of action are possible. Firstly, the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees, signed in 1951, should be reformed by changing the definition of what a refugee is to benefit conflict victims, not just those who fear persecution related to their opinions, religion, or membership in a discriminated social group. Binding mechanisms should also be established for financing aid to these migrants by the signatory States, with an allocation proportional to their wealth per capita. Today, these States allocate resources on a purely voluntary basis. As a result, funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is insufficient, and the burden is distributed very unevenly worldwide.
Secondly, pressure should be put on States that have not yet signed the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees to do so. Notably the Gulf monarchies, which have a very high income per capita and are close to many conflict zones.
Twenty Years in a Camp
Thirdly, investment is needed in job creation in developing countries that currently host the most refugees. International management of camps, whether done by the UNHCR or NGOs, is limited to providing survival means (housing, food, care) to those accommodated and schooling their children. This might suffice if a swift return to their home countries was foreseeable, but often this is not the case. Assistance to people in camps for an average of twenty years, as today, is unacceptable. If developed and democratic countries are not willing to accept it on their soil, they should not consider it acceptable in other regions of the planet. Therefore, more efforts must be devoted to the economic development of African and Asian countries hosting refugees, particularly to create jobs in areas where camps are located. These countries have advantages in this matter: vast territories where agriculture is possible but not exploited, competitive wage levels, sometimes relatively flexible regulations regarding business creation. Facilitating these countries’ trade with the European Union is a necessary step, similar to the removal of tariff barriers it has implemented vis-ร -vis Jordan. Another is to attract productive investments in countries hosting the most immigrants, as the European Union is beginning to do in Africa (external investment plan).
Even taken together, these measures will not solve the tragedy of refugees, but they can improve their integration into host countries and help clarify the responsibilities of developed countries.
