The Challenges and Opportunities of the Migrants Confronting Europe - Final Part

Europe is currently confronted with the prospects of having to accommodate hundreds of thousands of migrants who have suddenly made their way the continent, without due immigration processes. This has presented many of the reluctant host countries with a great crisis which has left their politicians and citizens perplexed and fearful, as well as the immense practical arrangements which they have to make to meet the emergency and short- and possibly long-term needs of these migrants.

In the first part of this post, I have touched on some of the main challenges, such as the long-term demographical, infra-structural, economic and religious ones, which I believe the situation has given rise to.

It is clear that, when confronted with the logistics of massive unplanned migration of this scale, there is, in the short-term, unlikely to be any immediate and identifiable benefits to the host countries.  The migrants, at least the majority of them, are unlikely to be in any position to provide the host countries with any benefits, outside of probably helping to deal with the migration crisis, by acting as volunteers, translators and interpreters, etc. The local economies are also likely to show a sharp rise in business activities. We can see countries such as Greece, Sweden, and the former Baltic and Soviet States either fearing that they will or are wilting under the logistics demands of the migrants.  Not surprisingly, many of the Eastern European countries are resorting to putting up physical fences along their borders with the their neighbours.

Europe is living in a state of apprehension and fear; being aware of the need to help the desperate migrants, but also occupied by the fear of a possibly irreversible and significant change in the ethnic and religious make-up of the continent. It does not help that this seminal crisis probably has its roots in the implementation of misguided and/or short-sighted American and European policies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia; the impact, for a change, is being felt first hand by the people of Europe and America. In the past, America and Europe sent their armed forces to and/or support different factions to fight for what is perceived to be their, America’s and Europe’s interests.  

Their foreign policies were intended to ‘solve the perceived problems’ in the natives’ countries. It was never intended that the natives would bring their problems to Europe and America by way of massive and unregulated migration. Of course, the drivers of this massive migration is not only the military conflicts which are taking place in the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia; it is also, if not even more so, in some cases, poor people fleeing from poverty, famine and economic blight.

And the benefits or opportunities of this migration to Europe?  Well, the most often cited ones include the increase in the pool of people looking for work, that it will increase the younger age groups in Europe’s ageing population, and, it could also be argued that making arrangements for the migrants could create some economic stimulus, at a time when the world’s economy is, probably at best, sluggish. 

The perceived benefit or opportunity arising from an increase in the host countries' workforce is not a straightforward one, since many of the potential workers might not have the required skills and training for the available jobs.  Similarly, for this to be a benefit per se it would require the migrants to have work skills and experiences which are required by their European host countries.  

The extent to which this perceived benefit will be realised, and can be set off against any disbenefit to the host countries’ workforce will take time.

The perceived positive impact of having younger migrants becoming part of the population distribution has some merit, especially as it is the younger generations who will have to help to pay for the welfare and pension burden of the retired population.

Another arguable benefit to the host countries could be the opportunity they provide to loosen the hold of archaic and fundamentalist or orthodox Islam on the younger generations. Put simply, the exposure of secular and non-theocratic Europe to more Muslims could, or should enable and promote the development of progressive Islam.  

A version of Islam which is able to co-exist with other religions, people who do not believe in god and with secular society. 

The success of this process or project is vital, if  non-Islamic Europe is to become the home of tens or hundreds of Muslims, but without the Jihadists and the fundamentalists taking the continent back into the dark ages of religious oppression, which Europe has escaped over the centuries of Enlightenment and the exercise of free will..