Refugees in Europe

Press, 3 December 1985, Page 20

Refugees in Europe

The consultations held by senior officials from seven European countries about the political refugees going to Europe are not surprising. Last May, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Poul Hartling, organised a meeting, “Consultations on the arrivals of asylum seekers and refugees in Europe.” At the meeting, 55 European and nonEuropean countries participated, as did intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. From the concern expressed then, it was obvious that a number of countries felt the need to co-ordinate their policies. The meeting just held included some of those countries which have taken the most refugees. Britain, West Germany, and France have taken the most, and Sweden’s intake, although smaller, has also been large. The problems have arisen because of the greater number of people arriving and seeking asylum in Europe. In 1975 only 19,600 arrived; by 1980 the number had increased to 158,500. The number decreased to 116,500 in 1981; but in 1984 the number was still as high as 103,500. The countries of Europe have started to tighten their policies on accepting refugees. What the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees fears is that the resentment being shown towards immigrants in Europe will limit the opportunity for genuine refugees to be settled there. The High Commissioner attended the meeting of the officials from seven countries, which was held in Stockholm, but no statement on policy was made after the meeting, though it was acknowledged that there was a certain amount of agreement among the countries attending. The immigration issue is having serious political repercussions. Immigration is expected to be an important issue in next March’s Parliamentary elections in France. A party of the far Right is claiming that there are six million immigrants in France, though the official figure is four million. The leader of the far-Right party is complaining particularly about North African Arabs. In West Germany, conservatives are trying to make it harder for

non-European refugees to enter the country. By the end of this year it is expected that about 60,000 refugees, mostly from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Eritrea, and Ghana, will have asked for asylum in West Germany. In Switzerland, a far-Right party which opposes immigration did very well in local elections in Geneva and Lausanne. Britain recently took a step to stop migration from Hong Kong. Part of the difficulty lies in deciding who is a refugee. If people are in danger of their lives for political reasons the argument would seem to be clear. Other people leave their country of origin to better themselves economically. Although these people may feel that they are escaping a kind of oppression, they are not covered in the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Others leave because of internal upheavals or armed conflicts in their countries. There is some dispute about whether they should be treated in the same way as those clearly identified as political refugees. Sorting out the distinctions is a complicated business. Some who seek asylum destroy their papers; some who are rejected by one European country seek acceptance by another. If they eventually become citizens of that country, they will be able under European Economic Community rules to migrate to the country that rejected them in the first place. Little can be done except through a case-by-case approach. All of this is at an administrative level. What a number of Governments fear, and what the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees fears, is that public attitudes will not distinguish between general migration and refugees. At a time of high unemployment in Europe the difficulties are compounded. Many European countries have shown great generosity over accommodating refugees. Doubtless, the seven countries whose officials met in Stockholm are striving to keep their policies humanitarian; but it may be expected that, in spite of the latest talks, it will be harder for those seeking asylum to find it in Europe.