Angela Merkel’s Liberal Refugee Policy Skyrocketed Crime – Here’s Why She Did It
As political tension is on the rise and ISIS continues to grow, it is no surprise that citizens in the Middle East have been fleeing particularly volatile regions like Syria to seek asylum in a presumably safer country. These ‘safer countries’ are predominantly within the European Union, however countries like Canada have, controversially, been accepting refugees. No country however, has been accepting refugees at a rate even relatively close to Germany.
According to government statistics, 2015 saw Germany welcome roughly 1.1 million asylum seeking refugees; a figure that accounts for about 1.36% of the total population. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany is facing increased public scrutiny and is being blamed for the refugee crisis. This public dissatisfaction for Ms. Merkel is a result of her decision last August to suspend the EU’s Dublin Regulation which outlines that refugees must claim asylum in the first EU country they reach. Furthermore, Ms. Merkel then made a move to process the claims of all Syrians in Germany, regardless if they have passed through another EU country or not. The move has brought political instability to a region that, in the past, has exhibited political strength and stability.
Merkel’s persistence in allowing an exorbitant amount of refugees into Germany, despite clear unease from the public and struggles by municipalities to house all the refugees have left many wondering what exactly was the chancellor playing at? There is obviously an ulterior motive at play here for Ms. Merkel and I believe that motive can be found within the German fertility numbers…yes you read that correctly.
In mid 2015, Germany passed Japan as the country with the lowest birth rate in the world. The BBC reported “An average of 8.2 children were born per 1,000 inhabitants over the past five years”. Contrast this with Niger, the country with the highest birthrate, with 50 births per 1,000 people. The implications of these numbers are extremely concerning for Germany’s economic sustainability. Low birth rates mean that in the future, there will be a large gap in the labour market. As the number of workers in the market decreases, wages will increase. This puts an economic strain on business and threatens Germany’s economic growth.
I believe that by adopting such lax refugee policies, Angela Merkel was trying to attract refugees to solve this problem. In addition, Merkel was looking to get “first dibs” on the refugees that were educated and would ultimately prosper within Germany. The Foundation for Economic Education reports that 9.4 percent of Syrian refugees have a “technical, university, college, or graduate school level of education”. This data is skewed however, as 43% of Syrian refugees are under 14, and 56% are under the age of 20. Nevertheless, it is my opinion that Germany was looking to solve or at least remedy their concerns over long term economic disparity.
Unfortunately for Merkel, things haven’t played out quite as she hoped. The widespread sexual assaults and intimidations that took place by foreign nationals in Cologne on New Years Eve have left the public outraged. Merkel’s approval ratings are down tremendously and many feel that the government is struggling to respond effectively to growing concerns over the refugee crisis. It is due to this increased public pressure that I think we can expect Merkel to address these issues and tighten her stance on migration policy in the near future.
source: Angela Merkel’s Liberal Refugee Policy Skyrocketed Crime – Here’s Why She Did It | byzvest
As political tension is on the rise and ISIS continues to grow, it is no surprise that citizens in the Middle East have been fleeing particularly volatile regions like Syria to seek asylum in a presumably safer country. These ‘safer countries’ are predominantly within the European Union, however countries like Canada have, controversially, been accepting refugees. No country however, has been accepting refugees at a rate even relatively close to Germany.
According to government statistics, 2015 saw Germany welcome roughly 1.1 million asylum seeking refugees; a figure that accounts for about 1.36% of the total population. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany is facing increased public scrutiny and is being blamed for the refugee crisis. This public dissatisfaction for Ms. Merkel is a result of her decision last August to suspend the EU’s Dublin Regulation which outlines that refugees must claim asylum in the first EU country they reach. Furthermore, Ms. Merkel then made a move to process the claims of all Syrians in Germany, regardless if they have passed through another EU country or not. The move has brought political instability to a region that, in the past, has exhibited political strength and stability.
Merkel’s persistence in allowing an exorbitant amount of refugees into Germany, despite clear unease from the public and struggles by municipalities to house all the refugees have left many wondering what exactly was the chancellor playing at? There is obviously an ulterior motive at play here for Ms. Merkel and I believe that motive can be found within the German fertility numbers…yes you read that correctly.
In mid 2015, Germany passed Japan as the country with the lowest birth rate in the world. The BBC reported “An average of 8.2 children were born per 1,000 inhabitants over the past five years”. Contrast this with Niger, the country with the highest birthrate, with 50 births per 1,000 people. The implications of these numbers are extremely concerning for Germany’s economic sustainability. Low birth rates mean that in the future, there will be a large gap in the labour market. As the number of workers in the market decreases, wages will increase. This puts an economic strain on business and threatens Germany’s economic growth.
I believe that by adopting such lax refugee policies, Angela Merkel was trying to attract refugees to solve this problem. In addition, Merkel was looking to get “first dibs” on the refugees that were educated and would ultimately prosper within Germany. The Foundation for Economic Education reports that 9.4 percent of Syrian refugees have a “technical, university, college, or graduate school level of education”. This data is skewed however, as 43% of Syrian refugees are under 14, and 56% are under the age of 20. Nevertheless, it is my opinion that Germany was looking to solve or at least remedy their concerns over long term economic disparity.
Unfortunately for Merkel, things haven’t played out quite as she hoped. The widespread sexual assaults and intimidations that took place by foreign nationals in Cologne on New Years Eve have left the public outraged. Merkel’s approval ratings are down tremendously and many feel that the government is struggling to respond effectively to growing concerns over the refugee crisis. It is due to this increased public pressure that I think we can expect Merkel to address these issues and tighten her stance on migration policy in the near future.
source: Angela Merkel’s Liberal Refugee Policy Skyrocketed Crime – Here’s Why She Did It | byzvest
