November 22,2018, Malaga. The Spaniard Maritime vessel rescued 202 migrants in the Mediterranean sea, here attended by the Red cross team. NurPhoto/Press Association. All rights reserved.
In an era of intense geopolitical turbulence and polarization, few issues have more unnerved Europeans than the “migration crisis”. Yet few topics have been more distorted. In less than a decade, the debate on migration has shifted from one of economic necessity to existential threat. Ultra-right populists and once fringe political parties are partly to blame. Regional hysteria is amplified by the steady drumbeat of media headlines (e.g. “Europe is on the brink” or “The EU is swarmed by a migration crisis”). Not surprisingly, anti-migrant sentiment is at fever pitch.
Today, Europe´s “migration crisis” is code for Africans, Middle Easterners and Central Asians crossing the Mediterranean. But is Europe really facing a “crisis”? The numbers suggest otherwise. There were roughly 110,000 refugees and migrants who entered Europe by sea in 2018. This compares to around 172,000 in 2017 and 362,000 in 2016. In fact, the number of new arrivals has fallen dramatically. Today Europe – the world´s wealthiest continent – receives a tiny percentage of the world´s asylum seekers. Today Europe – the world´s wealthiest continent – receives a tiny percentage of the world´s asylum seekers.
