The discovery of the bodies of 71 migrants in a lorry in Austria and the 200 migrants who drowned after their boat sank off the Libyan coast are the latest tragedies in the huge, overwhelming exodus of refugees. The arrest of 14 people all together in the two tragedies, while commendable, only treats a fraction of this humanitarian crisis that is quickly spinning out of control. Since tens of thousands of migrants from conflict-hit states in the Middle East and Africa have been trying to make their way to Europe in recent months, the onus is on EU countries to find a better way to handle this colossal influx. If, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the summit on the West Balkans in Vienna, the issue of immigration must be tackled in a European spirit of solidarity, then there must be solidarity, starting at inception. Under the so-called Dublin rules, the first EU country where an asylum-seeker arrives is usually required to process the claimant's application. In practice, this means countries on the EU's southern borders like Greece and Italy are overwhelmed with applications as thousands arrive on their shores. Surely, though, there must be a better way to process papers than this first-come, first-served system. To be sure, Germany has stopped returning Syrian asylum-seekers to their first EU port of entry, becoming the first member state to effectively simplify the application process for those fleeing the civil war. There should be more EC countries doing the same. Registering the migrants is just as important as redistributing the refugees fairly within the EU, which is problem No 2. All European countries and the EU must act together and help those countries whose capacities are already overstretched. This includes capacity support, and support for equitable redistribution, through quotas, of refugees and asylum seekers. But the real problem of migration lies at the source. Obviously, what is pushing thousands to leave their countries is much greater than any allure Europe has for them. The push factor is much greater than the pull. Upheavals and instability across much of Africa and the Middle East have led to this massive increase in the numbers trying to reach shores beyond. The motives are as many and varied as the nationalities involved. These people want to escape civil wars, authoritarian governments and extreme poverty. Prolonged insecurity, indefinite military service, clan warfare, sexual violence and other serious human rights violations, lack of access to basic needs such as food, medical services, healthcare and livelihoods, are all factors as families sell all they have in the hope of a better life. But no country or bloc of nations can reform the countries where these migrants come from, nor is it their responsibility. The EU has neither the means nor the inclination to clean up somebody else's mess. Giving migrants free passage, some shelter and food, and repatriation for a few is the best the EU can do. Still, desperate refugees are willing to make the trek. They will pay their life's savings to human traffickers of the sort thought to be responsible for the deaths in Austria. In trying to cross into Europe by road, or make the perilous journey by sea, refugees often pay with their lives. Neither razor-wire barriers nor border patrol units will keep migrants out. While the best solution is to dramatically change the lives of these refugees and migrants in their home countries so that they don't need to go anywhere else, it is also the most unrealistic of solutions.
