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| The Migrant Crisis in Europe: Readers’ Questions Answered | The Migrant Crisis in Europe: Readers’ Questions Answered |
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| As thousands of migrants seek refuge in Europe, and governments continue to struggle with how to receive them, The New York Times asked readers for their questions on the crisis. Here are some answers, and a way for you to submit your questions. | As thousands of migrants seek refuge in Europe, and governments continue to struggle with how to receive them, The New York Times asked readers for their questions on the crisis. Here are some answers, and a way for you to submit your questions. |
| Q. Will the migrants be allowed to work once they settle, or will they be stuck in camps, as they are in Jordan? — Megan Lasswell (@RocketCatGo on Twitter), Long Beach, Calif. | |
| A. It depends on where the migrants settle. Refugees have a right to work under the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees, which nearly all countries in Europe have signed. But not every country honors this obligation, said Madeline Garlick, of the Migration Policy Institute. | A. It depends on where the migrants settle. Refugees have a right to work under the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees, which nearly all countries in Europe have signed. But not every country honors this obligation, said Madeline Garlick, of the Migration Policy Institute. |
| Some countries have tried to find jobs for asylum seekers as a way to satisfy demand for labor and more quickly assimilate refugees into the country. In Germany, which expects 800,000 migrants this year alone, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s biggest businesses have started a campaign to find jobs for migrants — preferable to letting them become the responsibility of the state. | Some countries have tried to find jobs for asylum seekers as a way to satisfy demand for labor and more quickly assimilate refugees into the country. In Germany, which expects 800,000 migrants this year alone, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s biggest businesses have started a campaign to find jobs for migrants — preferable to letting them become the responsibility of the state. |
| In the United States, refugees are allowed to work, and many get assistance from aid groups in finding a job. Jordan has not signed the 1951 convention, and it does not allow refugees to work, though for more than five years it has allowed them to live in towns and cities in Jordan, not just in refugee camps. | In the United States, refugees are allowed to work, and many get assistance from aid groups in finding a job. Jordan has not signed the 1951 convention, and it does not allow refugees to work, though for more than five years it has allowed them to live in towns and cities in Jordan, not just in refugee camps. |
| SOMINI SENGUPTA | |
| Q. Why are so many coming now? War and droughts have been going on for years. Where is the U.N. in all of this? — Roxan Pierson, Philadelphia | |
| A. The largest group of migrants entering Europe through Turkey and Greece are Syrians, followed by Iraqis and Afghans, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Those who are fleeing war zones have a strong claim to being refugees, rather than economic migrants. | A. The largest group of migrants entering Europe through Turkey and Greece are Syrians, followed by Iraqis and Afghans, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Those who are fleeing war zones have a strong claim to being refugees, rather than economic migrants. |
| There are a number of reasons there has been a recent surge. | There are a number of reasons there has been a recent surge. |
| First, the collapse of Syria is continuing and that has increased pressure on people to leave, even those who live in areas that until now had been considered relatively safe. | First, the collapse of Syria is continuing and that has increased pressure on people to leave, even those who live in areas that until now had been considered relatively safe. |
| As Syrian government forces and other groups take heavy casualties, Syrian men are faced with increasingly aggressive conscription, and many families who nominally support the government have become unwilling to send their sons to serve. Instead, many of them are pooling resources to send these young men abroad. | As Syrian government forces and other groups take heavy casualties, Syrian men are faced with increasingly aggressive conscription, and many families who nominally support the government have become unwilling to send their sons to serve. Instead, many of them are pooling resources to send these young men abroad. |
| New battlefield dynamics have brought fighting between government forces, rebel groups and Islamic insurgents closer to places that were once far from it. | New battlefield dynamics have brought fighting between government forces, rebel groups and Islamic insurgents closer to places that were once far from it. |
| And perhaps more than anything else, Syrians say, there is a sense of lost hope. One Syrian journalist describing his own feelings and those of many compatriots recently told me that they despair of a political solution to the war. Now, many suspect that even if there is a solution, Syria will not be a place where they want to raise their children — it will have grown more divided and sectarian — and so they might as well start a new life now. | And perhaps more than anything else, Syrians say, there is a sense of lost hope. One Syrian journalist describing his own feelings and those of many compatriots recently told me that they despair of a political solution to the war. Now, many suspect that even if there is a solution, Syria will not be a place where they want to raise their children — it will have grown more divided and sectarian — and so they might as well start a new life now. |
| Second, the United Nations humanitarian efforts are woefully underfunded, receiving less than half of what is needed from the world’s nations that provide financing. Benefits have been cut for the seven million displaced people in Syria, and for the four million Syrian refugees, most who fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. So people who had just managed to feed their families in those places feel new pressure to move on. | Second, the United Nations humanitarian efforts are woefully underfunded, receiving less than half of what is needed from the world’s nations that provide financing. Benefits have been cut for the seven million displaced people in Syria, and for the four million Syrian refugees, most who fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. So people who had just managed to feed their families in those places feel new pressure to move on. |
| Third, a new route to Europe has been discovered that is less expensive and less risky than long sea routes across the Mediterranean. Going from Libya to Italy or Malta was a much longer and more dangerous journey than the short hop from Turkey to Greek islands; despite the drownings that have grabbed headlines, tens of thousands make it safely. And for people from the main countries sending migrants, Libya was much harder to reach than Turkey. Some people in places that have been in deadly conflict for years without resolution or significant economic recovery — like Iraq — appear to have simply decided that this is the best opportunity they will have to try for a new life. ANNE BARNARD | |
| Q. Is there any kind of incentive to encourage countries to provide asylum? — Sarah Odell, Ithaca, N.Y. | |
| A. The plan agreed on Tuesday by justice and home affairs ministers of the European Union to redistribute 120,000 migrants, most now in Greece and Italy, becomes European Union law. That means member states failing to comply with the redistribution system can be taken to court by the European Commission, the union’s executive arm based in Brussels. (A separate decision this month to relocate 40,000 people from Greece and Italy remains voluntary.) | A. The plan agreed on Tuesday by justice and home affairs ministers of the European Union to redistribute 120,000 migrants, most now in Greece and Italy, becomes European Union law. That means member states failing to comply with the redistribution system can be taken to court by the European Commission, the union’s executive arm based in Brussels. (A separate decision this month to relocate 40,000 people from Greece and Italy remains voluntary.) |
| There are some incentives for member states to participate. Countries such as France and Germany that are taking in migrants will receive 6,000 euros, about $6,700, for each arrival, and Greece and Italy will receive €500 per migrant to cover the cost of moving them to their new locations. But an earlier proposal to force member states to pay a small percentage of their gross domestic product — 0.002 percent — to help finance the efforts of neighboring countries if they cannot participate was not included in the final text. | There are some incentives for member states to participate. Countries such as France and Germany that are taking in migrants will receive 6,000 euros, about $6,700, for each arrival, and Greece and Italy will receive €500 per migrant to cover the cost of moving them to their new locations. But an earlier proposal to force member states to pay a small percentage of their gross domestic product — 0.002 percent — to help finance the efforts of neighboring countries if they cannot participate was not included in the final text. |
| The member states that have not been formally allocated migrants include Britain and Ireland. They have opt-outs from European Union initiatives on justice and home affairs. Ireland, however, has chosen to participate and has said it is ready to host 4,000 people in need of international protection. European officials expect that offer from Ireland will reduce the number of migrants that other member states must host. Britain will not be part of the relocation scheme, but has already agreed to take 20,000 migrants directly from countries bordering Syria over the next five years. | The member states that have not been formally allocated migrants include Britain and Ireland. They have opt-outs from European Union initiatives on justice and home affairs. Ireland, however, has chosen to participate and has said it is ready to host 4,000 people in need of international protection. European officials expect that offer from Ireland will reduce the number of migrants that other member states must host. Britain will not be part of the relocation scheme, but has already agreed to take 20,000 migrants directly from countries bordering Syria over the next five years. |
| Denmark, which is barred under domestic law from participating in European Union initiatives in the areas of justice and home affairs, has said it will take 1,000 refugees. JAMES KANTER | |
| Q. How many refugees are the Eastern European countries like Romania and the Czech Republic being asked to accept? — Dave N., Rochester, N.Y. | Q. How many refugees are the Eastern European countries like Romania and the Czech Republic being asked to accept? — Dave N., Rochester, N.Y. |
| A. The European Union plan approved early last week to distribute 120,000 asylum seekers across the 28-nation bloc was passed over the objections of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. | A. The European Union plan approved early last week to distribute 120,000 asylum seekers across the 28-nation bloc was passed over the objections of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. |
| The opposition from Eastern European members was strong, but two days later, European Union leaders meeting in Brussels said they had calmed divisions. | The opposition from Eastern European members was strong, but two days later, European Union leaders meeting in Brussels said they had calmed divisions. |
| The specific quotas — even suggested targets — remain controversial, but the European leaders were able to agree to increased funding for Syrian refugees in the region from which many migrants are fleeing; greater dialogue with border states, like Turkey; and increased financing and authority for Europe’s border agency. JEFFREY MARCUS | |
| Q. Why does Europe permit boats full of illegal immigrants to land on its shores? Why don’t the European navies stop the boats? — Si Campbell, Deland, Fla. | |
| A. The number of migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa — Libya, mostly — surged from the last year through spring. By May, more than 1,800 migrants had drowned attempting to make it to Europe. That is when the European Union decided to militarize its response to stop desperate migrants from attempting the sea route. | |
| European foreign and defense ministers agreed May 18 to use naval forces to intercept and disrupt ships used by smugglers before or shortly after they leave North Africa. Those efforts to stop boats and the inherent dangers of the trip forced migrants and human traffickers to find new, safer and cheaper routes to Europe. | European foreign and defense ministers agreed May 18 to use naval forces to intercept and disrupt ships used by smugglers before or shortly after they leave North Africa. Those efforts to stop boats and the inherent dangers of the trip forced migrants and human traffickers to find new, safer and cheaper routes to Europe. |
| A shorter voyage from Turkey across the Aegean Sea to Greece has become the preferred route for migrants, where they travel over land through the Balkans to Hungary and, ultimately, to Austria, Germany and other countries in Northern Europe where they prefer to seek asylum. JEFFREY MARCUS | |