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A Refugee Tragedy in Austria A Refugee Tragedy in Austria
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European leaders attending a summit meeting Thursday in Vienna had already shifted their focus to Europe’s growing refugee crisis when the terrible news came: the decomposing bodies of as many as 50 people, assumed to be refugees smuggled into Europe, were discovered packed in a truck only miles away, apparently abandoned by human traffickers. European leaders attending a summit meeting Thursday in Vienna had already shifted their focus to Europe’s growing refugee crisis when the terrible news came: the decomposing bodies of more than 70 people, assumed to be refugees smuggled into Europe, were discovered packed in a truck only miles away, apparently abandoned by human traffickers.
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said she was deeply shaken by the news and urged her fellow Europeans to devise a unified plan to deal with the biggest wave of refugees since World War II — the hundreds of thousands of desperate people fleeing wars in the Middle East and Africa for safety in Western Europe.Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said she was deeply shaken by the news and urged her fellow Europeans to devise a unified plan to deal with the biggest wave of refugees since World War II — the hundreds of thousands of desperate people fleeing wars in the Middle East and Africa for safety in Western Europe.
And so the Europeans should. But we have heard such pleas before, and not only has Europe failed to work out a shared system of quotas, but some countries — France and Britain in particular — have gone to great lengths to stop people at their borders, while the European Union has done little to help the two nations where many refugees have made landfall, Italy and Greece.And so the Europeans should. But we have heard such pleas before, and not only has Europe failed to work out a shared system of quotas, but some countries — France and Britain in particular — have gone to great lengths to stop people at their borders, while the European Union has done little to help the two nations where many refugees have made landfall, Italy and Greece.
Indeed, one purpose of the meeting was to find ways to make the Balkans more prosperous, partly to stop the flight of refugees seeking a European home. Hungary, for one, has taken a very hard line and is building a razor wire-topped fence along its border with Serbia and is threatening to send troops to stop refugees at its border.Indeed, one purpose of the meeting was to find ways to make the Balkans more prosperous, partly to stop the flight of refugees seeking a European home. Hungary, for one, has taken a very hard line and is building a razor wire-topped fence along its border with Serbia and is threatening to send troops to stop refugees at its border.
The grim geography is this: As the route to Italy via Libya and the Mediterranean has become more difficult and costly, refugees have increasingly headed to Greece, trying then to reach Western Europe via the Balkans. So far this year, 181,000 have gained a first European foothold in Greece after crossing a narrow stretch of sea from Turkey. From there, they make their way across Macedonia and Serbia, rushing to cross the Hungarian border before it becomes impassable, and hope to proceed from there to Germany and other points in Western Europe.The grim geography is this: As the route to Italy via Libya and the Mediterranean has become more difficult and costly, refugees have increasingly headed to Greece, trying then to reach Western Europe via the Balkans. So far this year, 181,000 have gained a first European foothold in Greece after crossing a narrow stretch of sea from Turkey. From there, they make their way across Macedonia and Serbia, rushing to cross the Hungarian border before it becomes impassable, and hope to proceed from there to Germany and other points in Western Europe.
The United Nations is predicting that 3,000 refugees per day will soon pour into the Balkans. Ordinary Europeans are increasingly alarmed, and in Germany, which is on track to receive 800,000 applications for asylum this year, xenophobic hate crimes are on the rise.The United Nations is predicting that 3,000 refugees per day will soon pour into the Balkans. Ordinary Europeans are increasingly alarmed, and in Germany, which is on track to receive 800,000 applications for asylum this year, xenophobic hate crimes are on the rise.
Hopefully, Thursday’s tragic discovery will shock those European countries that have refused so far to undertake the kind of concerted action Ms. Merkel wants and which is so clearly required. This is only fair: Greece and Italy are overwhelmed. Serbia and Macedonia, which aspire to European Union membership, are struggling to cope.Hopefully, Thursday’s tragic discovery will shock those European countries that have refused so far to undertake the kind of concerted action Ms. Merkel wants and which is so clearly required. This is only fair: Greece and Italy are overwhelmed. Serbia and Macedonia, which aspire to European Union membership, are struggling to cope.
Austria’s foreign minister, Sebastian Kurz, floated a plan Thursday calling for quotas for all 28 E.U. member states, the creation of safe havens for those seeking asylum in Europe — with qualified refugees given safe passage to destination countries — and a crackdown on human traffickers. These measures represent the kind of creative, compassionate thinking Europe needs.Austria’s foreign minister, Sebastian Kurz, floated a plan Thursday calling for quotas for all 28 E.U. member states, the creation of safe havens for those seeking asylum in Europe — with qualified refugees given safe passage to destination countries — and a crackdown on human traffickers. These measures represent the kind of creative, compassionate thinking Europe needs.