Migration

Over the past year, Europe, besides the economic crisis, has had to face another big challenge: the largest refugee flow since the Second World War.

The political Left in Europe appears to have given up on trying to put forward a positive picture of migration.

Europe promotes migration and mobility, but new or ‘different’ Europeans are still stigmatised and marginalised in our societies.

National borders are a reality – and for most people, they are something that is taken for granted and indeed necessary.

The right to asylum is not a numbers game, it is a human right.

What responses are being prescribed by Greens who hold office in places heavily affected by these developments?

The influx of refugees to the shores of Greek islands has generally been met with overwhelming support from locals, eager to provide much needed aid to the refugees.

The conflicting messages of welcome displayed by the German government towards refugees is hindering integration processes, for the state, the refugees and the citizens. For the sake of all three, accepting the situation is the only way of moving forward.

Europeans have to make their societies genuinely inclusive, and Greens could play a constructive role in making this work – says Green MEP Jean Lambert, in an interview with the Green European Journal, which touched on Jeremy Corbyn, Calais and the British response to the refugee crisis.

The idea that the war in Syria can be partially explained by climate change is one that is often overlooked. The connection between conflict and climate change – whether it’s down to drought, food scarcity, or environmental degradation to homes – is stronger than it appears, and is one that needs to be urgently addressed before it is too late.