During the last three years, Europe has being facing a massive migration wave. People from countries all around the world are seeking refuge from the distress, happening in their own countries. Over a million migrants, crossed into Europe, in 2015 only. It was during that time when the crisis sparked. European countries struggled with the influx of the migrants while trying to deal with resettling the people and at the same time coping with their own problems.
The evolution of the phenomenon
The biggest influx came from the sea. At the same time a large percent of the migrants made their way into Europe through land, principally via Turkey and Albania. The influx continued with 135,711 people reaching Europe, by sea, since the beginning of 2016, according to the UNHCR.
Migration has started and continues to this day, for many different reasons. The dramatic situation in Syria, the continuous violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the poverty situation in Kosovo and the abusive society of Eritrea, keep the migration of the local population active and rising.
Most migrants are seeking asylum in Europe, with Germany being the country receiving the highest number of migrants in 2015, with more than 476,000 arriving in waves, for months, according to the official rates. Hungary followed second with 177,130 migration applications by the end of December of 2015. Most of those migrants arrived overland through Greece and the Western Balkans.
The problems of the migration journey
However, although a large percent is asking for legal passage to the European countries, an even larger percent enters the continent illegally. And that number continues to rise. In 2015, close to one million illegal migrants entered Europe, overland through the Eastern Mediterranean. That is a huge increase of the number, considering the fact that the previous year the rates were close to only 50.000.
The journey itself, mainly for the illegal migrant, is extremely dangerous. Accidents of immigrants perishing on their effort to find refuge away from the war raging in their countries, the poverty and the abuse, are being reported very often.
Arriving in the European countries, the migrants have to face other equally severe problems. Social exclusion and racism are two of them. Therefore, it is very difficult for those people to find new options and new opportunities regarding employment. It is nearly impossible for the Europeans to understand how frustrating it must be to lose an entire life and start from nothing once again but this time having the society on the opposite side.
Europe is ready to help with the migration phenomenon
In Europe, the crisis continues. The need to provide shelter to all those people, to assist them in their transition to a new life, away from danger, war, poverty and abuse, is a big priority for the European Union. The effort continues to this day, with promising results. More and more migrants are being included to European life, every day. One of the EU’s number one priorities for the years 2018 is to assist migrants in becoming active entrepreneurs and involve them to the European society. These actions are being implemented by organizations, NGOs, foundations, research centers and education providers all around Europe support that priority, with every chance they get.
The situation continues to be difficult to deal with, to this day. But with the European priorities being actively supported and implemented, the migration crisis is being dealt with and positive results are surfacing every single day!
