Earlier today, we reported that European officials are considering a two year Schengen suspension to help stem the inexorable flow of Mid-East migrants into Western Europe.
Last year’s optimism regarding the bloc’s ability to take on asylum seekers quickly faded as eurocrats suddenly realized just how daunting a task they’re facing. Even if the integration effort were going smoothly, the task would be well nigh impossible. Germany, for instance, took in some 1.1 million refugees in 2015 - the country only has 82 million people.
Of course the integration effort isn’t going smoothly at all. A wave of sexual assaults blamed on men “of Arab origin” swept the bloc on New Year’s Eve and since then, a rising tide of nationalism threatens to destabilize the entire region and thrust the likes of Germany, Sweden, and Finland into social upheaval.
To understand just how acute the problem is, consider the following chart from The Washington Post which shows how many more asylum seekers fled to Europe from January 1 through February 7 of this year compared to the number arriving from January 1 to February 28 of 2015.
And if you think it's bad now, just wait until the weather warms up.
As one unnamed German official told Reuters last month, "Europe has until March, the summer maybe, for a solution. Then Schengen goes down the drain."
We're going to need bigger fences...