Europe can Succeed

Almost everywhere in the EU we see growing doubts about the EU’s capacity to act: in many countries, populist parties are getting stronger. They reject European integration and call for a return of the nation state. The gap between high expectations and the harsh reality has undermined the public support for the European integration project. In particular, during the refugee crisis, the European Union has failed to meet the expectations. But does this justify the calls for less Europe?

The terrorist attacks which struck at the heart of Europe were planned across national borders: National actions alone will not lead to solutions. International terrorism, conflicts in our immediate vicinity, causing instability and human suffering, as well as the flow of refugees that is reaching Europe: no member state can tackle these challenges on its own. Yet, how could a European solution look like?

Despite of the different approaches taken by the member states, the refugee crisis has illustrated the need for a European Border and Coast Guard with far-reaching powers. The protection of our external borders, and consequently the security of the whole Union, can no longer be the sole responsibility of, in some cases overburdened, national authorities.

The March 18th agreement between the EU and Turkey proves that only a united European Union, in co-operation with its neighboring countries, can successfully strive towards sustainable solutions. However, further steps are necessary: we urgently need a reform of the Dublin system including a fair distribution of asylum seekers among all EU member states. The same rights, duties, and rules must apply to all refugees across Europe. The further development of the European Asylum System is therefore the only viable solution. One thing remains clear: In a globalized world, in which Europe is and intends to remain an important actor, we will have to deal with the question of migration for a long time coming, irrespective of the conflict in Syria.

The whole article is available here and in Bulgarian on Capital.bg.