The European Parliament: Can They Fill the Big Shoes?

WASHINGTON, D.C — This morning in Brussels, Belgium, the European Parliament focused its attention on reforming migration and border policies in its member nations.

The focus on debate rested on distinguishing between short-term and long-term solutions for the large influx of migrants in a disproportionately few nations.

Suggestions ranged from the classic “checkpoint system” to the innovative idea of installing joint screening and training programs for migrants to develop relevant skills.

Belgian politician Guy Verhofstadt discussed the fact that “most illegal refugees come from northern Africa, so establishing monitoring systems would work well in the short-term, but a long-term solution would require a more peripheral idea like curbing climate change.”

Given the radically differing views on migrants between citizens and the members of parliament who represent their parties, rather than the whole country, it’s no surprise that entirely different viewpoints are being addressed.

As an example, English political analyst Nigel Farage suggested that the most important issue is security because of the increasing risk of terrorism from unchecked immigrants.

In contrast, Irish representative Martina Anderson prioritizes “the safety of refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea; after all, over 100 died crossing in the year so far, so dispatching EU border patrol to rescue them is good idea.”