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The Fortress Europe is life threatening. According to the UN-Migration Organization IOM, more than 1,000 people have already died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe.
At the same time, the fortress is an illusion: over 75,000 courageous immigrants made it across the sea. And despite six-meter-high fences, topped with razor-sharp Nato wire, almost 4,600 Africans in Ceuta and Melilla have so far entered the EU via the Union's only land border with Africa.
A new UN study now shows who these irregularly immigrants are , where they come from, what drives them. Most of them say, despite the degrading, life-threatening journey: I would do it again. And: Almost nothing would have stopped me.
For Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Program and commissioner of the study "Scaling Fences", the statements are above all a harsh indictment of the countries of origin of the migrants who offer them no prospects. But they are also an assignment to Europe to rethink its immigration policy.
SPIEGEL: What surprised you most about the "Scaling Fences" study?
Steiner: How much the refugees already knew about the impending difficulties and hardships before embarking on their dangerous journey to Europe - and that most would return to irregular entry despite the misery and danger.
Above all, young people want to escape a life in which they see no possibility at all to develop and participate in the political process. Many do not seem worth living. That's the amazing power that drives migration.
SPIEGEL: It fits: Almost half said that nothing could have stopped them.
Steiner: Yes. And they are not necessarily the poorest of the poor, not the uneducated. The people who ultimately have the power, the imagination and the will and interest to get up and seek a better life go away. That's not unusual in the history of migration. These are people who every day on the Internet see what the 'European Dream' looks like. For many in the world today, our lives are even more attractive than the American Dream. It is also interesting that Europe does not perceive itself in its self-image. The positive image of Europe is so strong that people really risk everything to participate.
SPIEGEL: What do the results mean for EU migration policy?
Steiner: You have to understand that the politicians are under pressure and have to deal with the heated debate. To close borders - to secure, as it always means - is understandable as a daily political signal.
But the report shows that we can end up with a lot of money, the streams only temporarily in some places. Only with fences, so defensive, the problem can not be overcome. We have to make it through an unregulated migration with apocalyptic images - barbed wire fences and thousands of drowned people in the Mediterranean - to a regulated migration.
SPIEGEL: How can that look?
Steiner: Most migrants today can only gain a foothold in Germany by applying for asylum. That should be different. Minister of Health Jens Spahn is currently trying to find health workers in countries like the Philippines and Mexico. The German population is getting older, we need to provide more care, and the staff is missing. That is why we have less to do with the migration debate than with the emotional background of fear. Rather, we must ask ourselves: How can we make immigration intelligent?
SPIEGEL: And what can make young people in Africa stay in their countries?
Steiner: For the African countries, our report is also a difficult feedback. He shows that the next generation is lost to them. By deciding to leave, the young Africans accuse their own governments. The question is: how do we prevent young people from making only one decision, namely to pack and go? African governments need to be more aware and faster to deal with the issues of their own youth to a much greater extent. The current number of migrants from Africa is first of all a problem that has to do with the lack of prospects in their own countries.
SPIEGEL: And what if the migration pressure does not decrease?
Steiner: If Africa and Europe do not understand how to develop in this context with shared interests, this ultimately only leads to chaos. Europe and Africa are a destiny community in the 21st century. In the next 40 years, another one billion people will come to Africa. That's why we need to see development cooperation in an expanded understanding. Africa is forward-looking for Europe in terms of markets, potential and skilled workers. I think what we're experiencing will one day only appear in history as one episode. And hopefully not: a drifting apart of two continents that will ultimately have to find a common path into the future in this century.
This article is part of the project Global Society, for which our reporters report from four continents. The project is long-term and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
What is the project Global Society?
Under the title Global Society, reporters from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe will be reporting on injustices in a globalized world, socio-political challenges and sustainable development. The reportages, analyzes, photo galleries, videos and podcasts appear in the Politics Department of SPIEGEL. The project is long-term and will be supported over three years by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
Are the journalistic contents independent of the foundation?
Yes. The editorial content is created without the influence of the Gates Foundation.
Do other media have similar projects?
Yes. Major European media such as "The Guardian" and "El País" have created similar sections on their news pages with "Global Development" or "Planeta Futuro" with the support of the Gates Foundation.
Was there already similar projects at SPIEGEL ONLINE?
SPIEGEL ONLINE has already implemented two projects in recent years with the European Journalism Center (EJC) and the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The "Expedition The Day After tomorrow" on Global Sustainability Goals and the journalistic refugee project "The New Arrivals" Several award-winning multimedia reports on the topics of migration and escape have emerged.
Where can I find all the publications on the Global Society?
The pieces can be found at SPIEGEL ONLINE on the topic page Global Society.