Out of the weekend news....there's this big disruptive episode that came up about refugee quotas that the EU wants to force down onto various countries.
The deal? Well....there would be a quota of refugees to each European country which would be based on social factors (you'd really have to stretch this one for mathematical standards) and economic factors (easier statistical data). All of this would be blended into some computer software program to produce a balanced and fair contribution.
Somehow, this would note the GDP of each country, the population, the unemployment rate (either the perceived rate, the fake rate, or the actual rate), and some mythical previous rate of taking in asylum seekers. Who decided the factors? Unknown. Why these factors and not others? Unknown.
So, for some nations.....it's something that's going to stir up folks because some nations will be 'ordered' to take more refugees (the UK for example, would have to take double the present rate of 30,000 a year).
The other problem that comes up is that refugees now have a laundry list or priority list of acceptable countries. Most know that landing in Portugal or Italy or Greece.....means a pretty low amount of financial help and a fairly negative view of refugees within the country. Denmark, Germany, France and the Nordic countries get the positive view. By using this EU method.....even if your target country was Germany.....you could easily be directed to Spain and find that they've shuffled you to some village way out in the middle of nowhere and you have to accept that instead of getting yourself into some ghetto type of atmosphere where you have 2,000 of your countrymen within a six-mile area and feel "at-home".
What is pushing the EU to do this? All this business in the Med and rescues have pressed the media to hype up the necessary episode of saving these poor boat-folks. However, saving them means you have to bring them to some European port.....offer refugee status....and then find some place to house them.
Even in Germany, there's been some statistical data to show the refugees are being placed mostly in highly urbanized areas and mostly in the western part of the country (leaving former East German states out of the picture for the most part). With a cost factor being noticed now.....the German reaction is starting to be more negative than positive.
Where this EU statistical dumping policy will go? The British political figures won't support this, and I suspect the EU court system will get involved to say it's unfair in some way to force some poor refugee guy to go to Portugal or Ireland.....when they really don't want that (they'd prefer Frankfurt or Hamburg instead). I also think public debate will erupt at some point and ask some fairly tough questions over the future intent of accepting these refugees and where this will take the nation.
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