Europe and the Syrian conflict

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande called for unity in the face of the refugee crisis.

Roxana Vasile, 08.10.2015, 13:33

Although making no concrete announcements or taking no strong decisions,
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on
Wednesday appeared before the EU Parliament together. For many their joint
address recalled the historic appearance of their predecessors Helmut Kohl and
Francois Mitterand 26 years ago, who gave a momentous speech on the end of the
Cold War. The difficult times back then are mirrored in the present-day growing
social unrest generated by the refugee crisis, the worst since the end of the
Second World War, Angela Merkel pointed out. Europe is constantly being
challenged.

Already shaken by the financial crisis, Europe is now facing a new
humanitarian crisis caused by the massive flows of migrants fleeing countries
in the Middle East and Northern Africa. And the problems don’t stop here. The
very purpose of the Schengen free-travel area is being called into question.
The possibility of closing down Schengen space, along with breaking up the Euro
could be the end of the European project.

EU Member States, however, tend to prefer solidarity to individual
action. Any attempt of saving yourself, or evading or warding off challenges by
yourself is an illusion, French president Fracois Hollande said in turn. He
believes the radical discourse of extremist groups is gaining more ground every
day and that nationalist attacks on Europe are tantamount to ‘total war’. Given
all these threats, only if it acts united, on the strength of its shared
values, will Europe be able to deal effectively with the refugee crisis,
Hollande went on to say.

Migrants must be treated as human beings, not as an anonymous mass. Many
of them wish to become part of European societies, which must preserve their
rules, while migrants must abide by them, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also
pointed out. The German official once again called for a fair distribution of
migrants among all Member States.

Romania agreed to host over 4,000 refugees. US ambassador to NATO
Douglas Lute even suggested that Romania might contribute to finding a
political solution to the Syrian crisis, given that it still has a functioning
embassy in Damascus. So far, Europe cannot seem to grasp the extent of the
tragic conflicts in the Middle East and Northern Africa, which will have
consequences, president Hollande said. Unless it takes appropriate action,
Europe will have to cope with these consequences.