Europe remains unprepared for a massive surge in immigration
from Africa, according to a top European Union official.
Antonio
Tajani, the president of the EU parliament, said overcrowding, poverty and war
and will likely push “millions” of people from Africa to Europe in the coming
decades. Ahead of the annual EU-Africa summit this week, Tajani called for
improved coordination among EU members and a “Marshall Plan” for Africa to help
stem the flow of migrants.
“Without
a strategy we will have terrorism, illegal immigration, instability,” he
said, according to Financial Times.
“There are too many voices on Libya, on Africa.”
Immigration
remains remains a potent issue in European politics, even as migrant flows have
subsided from the height of the refugee crisis in 2015. Right-wing and
immigration skeptic parties have enjoyed a surge in popularity in response to
decisions by EU leaders, particularly German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to admit
more than 1 million refugees and economic migrants from the Middle East since
2015.
Although
the EU has since managed to reduce the flow of immigrants via the land route
through Turkey, illegal immigration from Africa across the Mediterranean Sea is
surging. The number of African migrants arriving via the Libya to Italy
sea crossing is up 40 percent from 2016, EU officials said this summer. Most of
the immigrants are coming from West African states such as Senegal, Guinea and
Nigeria in order to escape economic hardship and overcrowding. (RELATED: EU Official:
Migrants Still Pouring Into Europe, Only Now They Are Mainly Coming From
Africa)
Demographic
trends in Africa suggest the flow of migrants will intensify in the coming
years. The continent-wide population is expected to double from 1.2 billion to
2.5 billion by 2050, with most of the growth concentrated in Africa’s
least-developed countries, according to UN projections.
Africa’s
pending population boom takes on additional significance for Europe in light of
the wave of migrants and asylum seekers that have arrived in the continent in
recent years. Many European countries have already exhausted their capacity to
absorb the flow of immigrants, forcing even centrist, pro-immigration leaders
to address the problems posed
by continued migration from Africa and Asia.
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http://dailycaller.com/2017/11/27/eu-official-europe-has-no-strategy-for-impending-wave-of-african-immigration/