Immigration in Europe - HumanitarianNet - Universidad de Deusto

FRAMING THE ISSUES AND MEETING THE CHALLENGES... 33immigration. The challenge for the EU and its member states will be tomove further in the policy debate and address issues relating tocommon policy on labour needs and immigration and the protection ofthe human rights of both undocumented migrants and asylum seekers.Burden sharingAnother challenge for a growing EU is the issue of burden sharing.Legally and morally, what contributions should each member state maketowards receiving and accommodating refugee populations? Whatcontributions should member states make to poorer countries throughoutthe world to support them in accepting and protecting refugees?Although not specifically required by conventions or internationallaw norms, a limited number of countries admit refugees on a permanentbasis through refugee resettlement programmes. Canada, the UnitedStates and Australia have admitted refugees under their immigrationprogrammes for decades. In addition to processing asylum claims ofpersons within and at their borders, Canada, the United States andAustralia yearly identify refugees in third countries for admission andparticipation in refugee resettlement programmes. In 2001, the UnitedStates admitted over 68,000 refugees; Canada admitted over 12,000;and, Australia admitted over 6,000 (see UNHCR, 2002, p. 60). Unfortunately,these numbers represent an 8 % reduction in the number ofrefugee resettlement cases accepted the previous year.Europe, on the other hand, is primarily confronted with asylumseekers, many who end up staying. Only a handful of EU memberstates regularly admit a yearly number of permanent refugees throughresettlement programmes. However, the European Commission hascreated a European Refugee Fund which distributes money and assistsmember states in processing and hosting refugees already in Europe.Hopefully, member states will access and use some of these funds tosupport the creation of permanent refugee resettlement programmes.Although developed countries contribute most of the funding forprogrammes that assist refugees, the least-developed and poorestcountries host the overwhelming majority of the world´s refugees (USCR,2002, p. 10, 11). Poor countries are thus faced with a double burden:how to provide for their own nationals during times of great economicand social crisis and, at the same time, attempt to protect and servelarge numbers of refugees crossing into their territories. If a united effortby both sending and receiving countries is not made to adjust the burdensborne by poor countries, the number of migrants fleeing political andeconomic strife will continue to soar.