Why resettlement is the most realistic response to the refugee crisis

Creating safe routes is the best way to enforce borders: a wall without a door is unlikely to stand.

Europe should focus on the four 'Rs': resettlement, redistribution, readmissions, and registration. First and most importantly, Europe must go beyond the current system in which refugees come to Europe illegally and then apply for asylum. This is risky for refugees as hundreds, many of them children, die en route. It also fuels smuggling networks and poses management problems for Europe as it is faced with an unpredictable flow. Creating safe routes is the best way to enforce borders. A wall without a door is unlikely to stand.

• Primary Source

ESO: Information Guide: European Migration Challenges http://www.europeansources.info/record/information-guide-european-migration-challenges/

ESO: Background information: European Council Conclusions on migration (18 February 2016) http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-council-conclusions-on-migration-18-february-2016/

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