{{Short description|Period of significant increase in migration}} {{redirect-several|dab=off|Refugee crisis|World War II evacuation and expulsion|Ukrainian refugee crisis}} {{use British English|date=November 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Infobox event | title = European refugee crisis | subtitle = | partof = [[Immigration to Europe]] and [[Impact of Arab Winter]] | image = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 360 | image_style = border:3; | perrow = 1/2/2 | image1 = Map of the European Migrant Crisis 2015.png{{!}}Asylum applications in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states between 1 January and 30 June 2015 according to Eurostat data | image2 = LE Eithne Operation Triton.jpg{{!}}Operation Triton: Irish Naval Service personnel from the LÉ Eithne (P31) rescuing migrants, 15 June 2015 | image3 = 20151030 Syrians and Iraq refugees arrive at Skala Sykamias Lesvos Greece 2.jpg{{!}}Syrian and Iraqi immigrants getting off a boat from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos. A small boat in water, with land on the horizon behind. Many people are on its outside in orange life jackets, some carrying inner tubes as well. A few are in the water swimming toward the camera. In the foreground a man in a red and black wetsuit has his hand out to them. | image4 = Manifestacio_barcelona_volem_acollir.jpg{{!}}Protest "Volem acollir" ("We want to welcome") took place in Barcelona on 18 February 2017 and became the biggest pro-refugee demonstration in Europe | image5 = Flashmob_gegen_Männergewalt,_Köln_2016_-4384.jpg{{!}}Protesters gather outside Cologne Cathedral after New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany, January 2016 }}{{center|From top, left to right: Map of crisis,{{efn|Data for the rest of the year 2015 can be found in the Eurostat ''Asylum quarterly report''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Asylum_quarterly_report|title=Asylum quarterly report – Statistics Explained|website=ec.europa.eu|access-date=17 December 2018|archive-date=26 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726141720/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Asylum_quarterly_report|url-status=live}}</ref>}} [[Operation Triton]], Refugees at Skala Sykamias Lesvos, Protesters at [[Protest «Volem acollir»|"Volem acollir" ("We want to welcome")]], Protesters after [[New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany]]}} | date = 2014–2016 <!--the EU-Turkey deal was agreed in March 2016--> | mapframe = no | place = * [[Europe]] * [[North Africa]] * [[Middle East]] * [[Mediterranean Sea]] * [[Central Asia|Central]] and [[South Asia]] }} The '''2015 European migrant crisis''' was a period of significantly increased movement of [[refugee]]s and [[Human migration|migrants]] into Europe, mostly from the [[Middle East]]. An estimated 1.3 million people came to the continent to request [[Right of asylum|asylum]],<ref>{{Cite book |title=The migrant crisis: European perspectives and national discourses |date=2017 |editor1-first=Melani |editor1-last=Barlai |editor2-first=Birte |editor2-last=Fähnrich |editor3-first=Christina |editor3-last=Griessler |editor4-first=Markus |editor4-last=Rhomberg |others=Peter Filzmaier (preface) |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |isbn=978-3-643-90802-5 |oclc=953843642 }}</ref> the most in a single year since [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dumont|first1=Jean-Christophe|last2=Scarpet|first2=Stefano|date=September 2015|title=Is this humanitarian migration crisis different?|url=https://www.oecd.org/migration/Is-this-refugee-crisis-different.pdf|journal=Migration Policy Debates|publisher=[[OECD]]|access-date=23 August 2021|archive-date=30 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730232111/https://www.oecd.org/migration/Is-this-refugee-crisis-different.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> They were mostly [[Refugees of the Syrian Civil War|Syrians]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ayaz |first1=Ameer |last2=Wadood |first2=Abdul |date=Summer 2020 |title=An Analysis of European Union Policy towards Syrian Refugees |url=http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/pols/pdf-files/1-v27_2_2020.pdf |journal=Journal of Political Studies |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=1–19 |eissn=2308-8338 |id={{ProQuest|2568033477}} |access-date=30 January 2023 |archive-date=30 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130010616/http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/pols/pdf-files/1-v27_2_2020.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> but also included a significant number of people from [[Afghan refugees|Afghanistan]], [[Pakistanis|Pakistan]], [[Refugees of Iraq|Iraq]], [[Nigeria]], [[Eritreans|Eritrea]],<ref>{{cite web|date=30 November 2016|title=FACTBOX-How big is Europe's refugee and migrant crisis?|url=https://news.trust.org/item/20161130143409-nr3lz|publisher=[[Thomson Reuters]] Foundation News|access-date=14 October 2021|archive-date=16 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016204043/https://news.trust.org/item/20161130143409-nr3lz|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Balkan people|Balkans]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Migrant crisis: Explaining the exodus from the Balkans|work=BBC News|date=8 September 2015|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34173252|access-date=9 March 2022|archive-date=9 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309153841/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34173252|url-status=live}}</ref> The increase in asylum seekers has been attributed to factors such as the escalation of various wars in the Middle East and [[Islamic State|ISIL]]'s territorial and military dominance in the region due to the [[Arab Winter]], as well as Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt ceasing to accept Syrian asylum seekers.<ref name=":17">{{Cite journal |last=Zaragoza-Cristiani |first=Jonathan |date=2015 |title=Analysing the Causes of the Refugee Crisis and the Key Role of Turkey: Why Now and Why So Many? |url=https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/38226/RSCAS_2015_95.pdf?sequence=1 |journal=EUI Working Papers |publisher=Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies |access-date=7 August 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807031505/https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/38226/RSCAS_2015_95.pdf?sequence=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The EU attempted to enact some measures to address the problem,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hatton |first=Tim |url=https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/550/pdfs/european-asylum-policy-before-and-after-the-migration-crisis.pdf |title=European asylum policy before and after the migration crisis |publisher=IZA World of Labor |year=2020 |language=en |access-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519145138/https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/550/pdfs/european-asylum-policy-before-and-after-the-migration-crisis.pdf |archive-date=19 May 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> including distributing refugees among member countries, tackling root causes of emigration in the home countries of migrants, and simplifying deportation processes.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Nugent |first=Neil |title=The government and politics of the European Union |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-137-45409-6 |edition=8th |pages=1–20 |chapter=Setting the Scene: The ‘Crises’, the Challenges, and Their Implications for the Nature and Operation of the EU}}</ref> However, due to a lack of political coordination at the European level, the distribution of countries was unequal, with some countries taking in many more refugees than others. This translated into a humanitarian emergency due to the poor quality of the infrastructure used to manage migration flows. This endangered the safety of migrants deepening the psychological and physical trauma.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Battisti |first=Jacopo |date=2024 |title=Inhabiting the limit: humanitarian architecture as border infrastructure |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379796062 |journal=AND Journal of Architecture, Cities and Architects |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=28–35 |issn=2785-7778}}</ref>
The initial responses of national governments varied greatly.<ref name=":1" /> Many [[European Union]] (EU) governments reacted by closing their borders, and most countries refused to take in the arriving refugees. Germany ultimately accepted most of the refugees after the government decided to temporarily suspend its enforcement of the [[Dublin Regulation]]. Germany would receive over 440,000 asylum applications (0.5% of the population). Other countries that took in a significant number of refugees include Hungary (174,000; 1.8%), Sweden (156,000; 1.6%) and Austria (88,000; 1.0%).
The crisis had significant political consequences in Europe. The influx of migrants caused significant demographic and cultural changes within these countries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jaskulowski |first=Krzysztof |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-030-10457-3 |title=The Everyday Politics of Migration Crisis in Poland: Between Nationalism, Fear and Empathy |date=2019 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3-030-10456-6 |location=Cham |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-10457-3}}</ref> As a consequence, some politicians raised concerns about the challenges of integrating migrants, and the public raised discussions about potential effects to European values.<ref name=":11" /> Paired also with rising cost of living and other complex social problems, political polarization increased,<ref name=":14" /> confidence in the European Union fell,<ref name="Oxford" /> and many countries implemented stricter asylum policies. Right-wing populist parties gained support as immigration became a key political issue and became significantly more popular in many countries. There was an increase in protests regarding immigration and the circulation of the [[white nationalist]] conspiracy theory of the [[Great Replacement]].<ref name=":22" /> == Terminology == News organisations and academic sources use both ''migrant crisis'' and ''refugee crisis'' to refer to the 2015 events, sometimes interchangeably. Some argued that the word ''migrant'' was [[pejorative]] or inaccurate in the context of people fleeing war and persecution because it implies most are emigrating voluntarily rather than being forced to leave their homes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rachman|first=Gideon|date=3 September 2015|title=Refugees or migrants – what's in a word?|url=http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/09/refugees-or-migrants-whats-in-a-word/|access-date=25 November 2015|work=Financial Times|archive-date=5 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605224454/http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/09/refugees-or-migrants-whats-in-a-word/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web|last=Malone|first=Barry|date=20 August 2015|title=Why Al Jazeera will not say Mediterranean 'migrants'|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/8/20/why-al-jazeera-will-not-say-mediterranean-migrants|url-status=live|access-date=23 August 2021|website=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030054012/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2015/8/20/why-al-jazeera-will-not-say-mediterranean-migrants |archive-date=30 October 2020 }}</ref> The [[BBC]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Ruz|first=Camila|date=28 August 2015|title=The battle over the words used to describe migrants|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34061097|access-date=25 November 2015|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108082216/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34061097|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[The Washington Post]]''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Taylor|first=Adam|date=22 August 2015|title=Is it time to ditch the word 'migrant'?|language=en|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/08/24/is-it-time-to-ditch-the-word-migrant/|access-date=23 August 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=15 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115214032/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/08/24/is-it-time-to-ditch-the-word-migrant/|url-status=live}}</ref> argued against the stigmatization of the word, contending that it simply refers to anyone moving from one country to another. ''[[The Guardian]]'' said while it would not advise against using the word outright, "'refugees', '[[Forced displacement|displaced people]]' and '[[asylum seeker]]s' ... are more useful and accurate terms than a catch-all label like 'migrants', and we should use them wherever possible."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marsh|first=David|date=28 August 2015|title=We deride them as 'migrants'. Why not call them people?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/28/migrants-people-refugees-humanity|url-status=live|access-date=23 August 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150830203113/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/28/migrants-people-refugees-humanity |archive-date=30 August 2015 }}</ref> [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]], on the other hand, expressly avoided the term migrant, arguing it was inaccurate and risked "giving weight to those who want only to see [[economic migrant]]s".<ref name=":02" />
Some have taken issue with the framing of the phenomenon as a "crisis." Political scientist [[Cas Mudde]] argued that the term reflects "more a matter of personal judgment than objective condition," writing that "[t]he EU had the financial resources to deal with even these record numbers of asylum seekers, although for years it had neglected to build an infrastructure to properly take care of them."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mudde |first=Cas |title=The Far Right Today |date=November 11, 2019 |publisher=Polity |isbn=978-1509536849 |edition=1st |pages=13}}</ref>
==Causes of increased asylum seekers== The most significant root cause of the wave of refugees entering Europe in 2015 was the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Varma |first1=Tara |last2=Roehse |first2=Sophie |date=October 24, 2024 |title=Understanding Europe's turn on migration |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/understanding-europes-turn-on-migration/ |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=[[Brookings Institution]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Several other countries in the Middle East and northern Africa were also experiencing social unrest that drove people to flee.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Campo |first1=Francesco |last2=Giunti |first2=Sara |last3=Mendola |first3=Mariapia |date=2024-09-01 |title=Refugee crisis and right-wing populism: Evidence from the Italian Dispersal Policy |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014292124001557 |journal=European Economic Review |volume=168 |article-number=104826 |doi=10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104826 |issn=0014-2921|hdl=2434/1089875 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
=== Background === In 2014, the [[Member state of the European Union|EU member states]] counted around 252,000 irregular arrivals and 626,065 asylum applications,<ref>{{Cite journal |date=August 2015 |title=Asylum Statistics in the European Union: A Need for Numbers |url=https://www.ecre.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AIDA-Briefing-Asylum-statistics-in-the-EU-a-need-for-numbers-August-2015.pdf |journal=AIDA Legal Briefing |volume=2 |pages=4 |access-date=28 April 2023 |archive-date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516150443/https://www.ecre.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AIDA-Briefing-Asylum-statistics-in-the-EU-a-need-for-numbers-August-2015.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Bitoulas |first=Alexander |title=Asylum applicants and first instance decisions on asylum applications |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-data-in-focus/-/KS-QA-15-003 |volume=3/2015 |year=2015 |series=Data in Focus |publisher=[[Eurostat]] |access-date=28 April 2023 |archive-date=28 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230428184819/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-data-in-focus/-/KS-QA-15-003 |url-status=live }}</ref> the highest number since the 672,000 applications received in the wake of the [[Yugoslav Wars]] in 1992. Four countries – Germany, Sweden, Italy and France – received around two-thirds of the EU's asylum applications. Sweden, Hungary and Austria were among the top recipients of EU asylum applications ''per capita'', when adjusted for their own populations, with 8.4 asylum seekers per 1,000 inhabitants in Sweden, 4.3 in Hungary, and 3.2 in Austria.<ref name="auto6">{{cite web |title=euronews – Data raises questions over EU's attitude towards asylum seekers |url=http://m.euronews.com/en/304485/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328233348/http://m.euronews.com/en/304485/ |archive-date=28 March 2016 |access-date=28 August 2015 |publisher=euronews.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Asylum in the EU |url=http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/e-library/docs/infographics/asylum/infographic_asylum_en.pdf |publisher=European Commission |access-date=5 September 2015 |archive-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328235232/http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/e-library/docs/infographics/asylum/infographic_asylum_en.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The EU countries that hosted the largest numbers of refugees at the end of 2014 were [[France]] (252,000), [[Germany]] (217,000), [[Sweden]] (142,000) and the [[United Kingdom]] (117,000).<ref name="UNHCRtrends">{{cite news |date=18 June 2015 |title=UNHCR Global Trends –Forced Displacement in 2014 |newspaper=UNHCR |url=http://unhcr.org/556725e69.html |access-date=5 September 2015 |archive-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200117044813/https://www.unhcr.org/556725e69.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2014, the main countries of origin, accounting for almost half of the asylum seekers, were [[Syria]] (20%), [[Afghanistan]] (7%), [[Eritrea]] (6%), [[Kosovo]] (6%) and [[Albania]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The number of asylum applicants in the EU jumped to more than 625 000 in 2014 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/6751779/3-20032015-BP-EN.pdf/35e04263-2db5-4e75-b3d3-6b086b23ef2b |publisher=EUROSTAT |access-date=4 March 2016 |archive-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328235213/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/6751779/3-20032015-BP-EN.pdf/35e04263-2db5-4e75-b3d3-6b086b23ef2b |url-status=live }}</ref> Most crossed the [[Mediterranean Sea]] from Libya.<ref name="auto1">{{cite news |date=15 April 2015 |title=Migrant boat capsizes off Libya, 400 feared dead |publisher=[[Fox News Channel]] |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/migrant-boat-capsizes-off-libya-400-feared-dead/ |url-status=live |access-date=19 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930071234/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/04/15/migrant-boat-capsizes-off-libya-400-feared-dead/ |archive-date=30 September 2015 }}</ref> The overall rate of recognition of asylum applicants was 45 per cent at the first instance and 18 per cent on appeal<ref name="auto5" /> although there were huge differences between EU states,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Silburn MPH FAWM |first1=Alan |last2=Tanvir |first2=F. |last3=Ton |first3=J. |last4=Lathigara |first4=N. |last5=Ashraf |first5=R. |last6=Arndell |first6=J. |date=2024-01-30 |title=Ungoverned, Unfair, Unacceptable: A UN Solution to Refugee Distribution |url=https://ijmra.in/v7i1/36.php |journal=International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis |language=en |volume=07 |issue=1 |doi=10.47191/ijmra/v7-i01-36 |issn=2643-9840|doi-access=free }}</ref> ranging from Hungary (accepted 9% of applicants) to Sweden (accepted 74%).<ref name="auto5">{{cite web |title=EU Member States granted protection to more than 185 000 asylum seekers in 2014 |url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/6827382/3-12052015-AP-EN.pdf/6733f080-c072-4bf5-91fc-f591abf28176 |publisher=EUROSTAT |access-date=4 September 2015 |archive-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328235222/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/6827382/3-12052015-AP-EN.pdf/6733f080-c072-4bf5-91fc-f591abf28176 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Escaping from conflicts or persecution=== According to the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]], most of the people who arrived in Europe in 2015 were [[refugees]] fleeing war and [[persecution]]<ref name="UNHCRarrivals">{{cite web|title=Refugees/Migrants Emergency Response – Mediterranean|url=http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=29 October 2015|archive-date=21 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321204604/http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Syria]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Iraq]] and [[Eritrea]]: 84% of Mediterranean Sea arrivals in 2015 came from the world's top ten refugee-producing countries.<ref name="UNHCRarrivals1">{{cite news|date=30 December 2015|title=Over one million sea arrivals reach Europe in 2015|work=UNHCR|url=http://www.unhcr.org/5683d0b56.html|access-date=28 December 2016|archive-date=29 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160329003146/http://www.unhcr.org/5683d0b56.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Wars fueling the migrant crisis were the [[Syrian Civil War]], the [[Iraq conflict (2003–present)|Iraq War]], the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]], the [[Somali Civil War (2009–present)|War in Somalia]], and the [[War in Darfur]]. Refugees from Eritrea, one of the [[Human rights in Eritrea|most repressive]] states in the world, fled from [[Conscription in Eritrea|indefinite military conscription]] and [[forced labour]].<ref name="origins">{{cite news|date=10 September 2015|title=Refugee crisis: apart from Syrians, who is travelling to Europe?|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/10/refugee-crisis-apart-from-syrians-who-else-is-travelling-to-europe|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401015224/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/10/refugee-crisis-apart-from-syrians-who-else-is-travelling-to-europe|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=22 July 2015|title=It's not at war, but up to 3% of its people have fled. What is going on in Eritrea?|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/22/eritrea-migrants-child-soldier-fled-what-is-going|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150923100909/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/22/eritrea-migrants-child-soldier-fled-what-is-going|url-status=live}}</ref>
The major regions of conflict that have resulted in the increase of asylum seekers in the European region are: {| class="wikitable sortable toptextcells zebra" style="text-align:left;" |+Asylum applications by nationality in per cent / year<ref name="Eurostat2015-2017">[http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7203832/3-04032016-AP-EN.pdf/790eba01-381c-4163-bcd2-a54959b99ed6 ''Record number of over 1.2 million first time asylum seekers registered in 2015.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713115053/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7203832/3-04032016-AP-EN.pdf/790eba01-381c-4163-bcd2-a54959b99ed6 |date=13 July 2019 }} (44/2016) 4. March 2016; [http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7921609/3-16032017-BP-EN.pdf/e5fa98bb-5d9d-4297-9168-d07c67d1c9e1 ''1.2 million first time asylum seekers registered in 2016''] (46/2017) 16. March 2017</ref> ! Sort !! Region of origin !! 2015 !! 2016 |- |[[Refugees of the Syrian Civil War|Syrian]]||Western Asia|| style="background: yellow;" |29% || style="background: yellow;" |28% |- |Other ||||26% ||28% |- |[[Afghan refugees|Afghanistan]]||Central Asia||14% || 15% |- |[[Refugees of Iraq|Iraq]]||Western Asia||10% ||11% |- |[[Kosovo refugees in Albania|Albanian]] ||Southeast Europe||{{0}}5% ||{{0}}2% |- |[[Eritreans in Germany|Eritrea]] ||East Africa||{{0}}3% ||{{0}}3% |- |Iran ||Western Asia||{{0}}2% ||{{0}}3% |- |[[Emigration from Kosovo|Kosovo]]||Southeast Europe||{{0}}5% || – |- |[[Nigerian refugees|Nigeria]] ||West Africa||{{0}}2% ||{{0}}4% |- |[[Afghans in Pakistan|Pakistan]] ||South Asia||{{0}}4% ||{{0}}4% |}
==== Kosovo ==== [[emigration from Kosovo|Migration from Kosovo]] occurred in phases beginning from the second half of the 20th century. The [[Kosovo War]] (February 1998 – June 1999) created a wave. On 19 May 2011, [[Kosovo]] established the Ministry of Diaspora. Kosovo also established the Kosovo Diaspora Agency (KDA) to support migrants.
The unemployment rate in Kosovo in 2014 was estimated at 30%, a majority of the unemployed being in the age range 15–24.<ref>{{cite web|title=Burimi: Rezultatet e Anketë së Fuqisë Punëtore në Kosovë 2013|url=http://ask.rks-gov.net/component/content/article/35-yoocarousel/589-fuqia-puntore|publisher=Kosovo Agency of Statistics, KAS/AKS|access-date=29 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045205/http://ask.rks-gov.net/component/content/article/35-yoocarousel/589-fuqia-puntore|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> This was reflected in the age range of the emigrants, roughly 50% of whom were youth between the age of 15–24.<ref name="Young emigrants">{{cite web|title=Sa është kosto e emigrantëve që po lëshojnë Kosovën dhe cila është mundësia parandalimit të emigrimit|url=http://www.zeri.info/zerat/14697/sa-eshte-kosto-e-emigranteve-qe-po-leshojne-kosoven-dhe-cila-eshte-mundesia-parandalimit-te-emigrimit/|publisher=Zëri|accessdate=11 January 2015|archive-date=18 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118044933/http://www.zeri.info/zerat/14697/sa-eshte-kosto-e-emigranteve-qe-po-leshojne-kosoven-dhe-cila-eshte-mundesia-parandalimit-te-emigrimit/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Detected illegal border crossings to the EU from Kosovo numbered 22,069 in 2014 and 23,793 in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/Risk_Analysis/Risk_Analysis_for_2018.pdf|author=Frontex|title=Risk Analysis for 2018|year=2018|access-date=9 March 2020|archive-date=22 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222175531/https://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/Risk_Analysis/Risk_Analysis_for_2018.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[2015 Kosovo protests|anti-government protests of 2015]] coincided with a surge in migrant numbers.<ref name="Kosovo2015">{{cite news |title=Kosovo helpless to stem exodus of illegal migrants |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kosovo-eu-immigration/kosovo-helpless-to-stem-exodus-of-illegal-migrants-idUSKBN0LA1XH20150206 |work=Reuters |date=6 February 2015 |access-date=24 May 2020 |archive-date=31 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731023710/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kosovo-eu-immigration/kosovo-helpless-to-stem-exodus-of-illegal-migrants-idUSKBN0LA1XH20150206 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Syrian civil war ==== {{main|Syrian civil war}}
The Syrian civil war began in response to the [[Arab Spring]] protests of March 2011, which quickly escalated into [[Civil uprising phase of the Syrian civil war|a civil uprising]]. By May 2011, thousands of people had fled the country and the first refugee camps opened in Turkey. In March 2012, the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]] appointed a Regional Coordinator for Syrian Refugees, recognising the growing concerns surrounding the crisis. As the conflict descended into full civil war, [[Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war|outside powers]], notably [[Iran]], [[Turkey]], the [[United States]] and [[Russia]] funded and armed different sides of the conflict and sometimes intervened directly.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tan|first1=Kim Hua|last2=Perudin|first2=Alirupendi|date=April 2019|title=The "Geopolitical" Factor in the Syrian Civil War: A Corpus-Based Thematic Analysis|journal=SAGE Open|language=en|volume=9|issue=2|pages=215824401985672|doi=10.1177/2158244019856729|s2cid=197715781|issn=2158-2440|doi-access=free}}</ref> By March 2013, the total number of Syrian refugees reached 1,000,000,<ref>{{cite web|title=Situation Syria Regional Refugee Response|url=https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria|access-date=17 March 2018|website=data2.unhcr.org|archive-date=19 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219072255/http://www.data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php|url-status=live}}</ref> the vast majority of whom were [[Internally displaced person|internally displaced]] within Syria or had [[Refugees of the Syrian civil war in Turkey|fled to Turkey]] or [[Syrians in Lebanon|Lebanon]]; smaller numbers had sought refuge in [[Iraq]] and [[Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mona|first=Chalabi|date=25 July 2013|title=Syrian refugees: how many are there and where are they?|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jul/25/syrian-refugee-crisis-in-numbers-updated|access-date=8 July 2021|website=[[The Guardian]]|language=en|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711022333/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jul/25/syrian-refugee-crisis-in-numbers-updated|url-status=live}}</ref>
==== War in Afghanistan ==== {{main|War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)}} {{See also|Anti-Afghan sentiment}} [[Afghan refugees]] constitute the second-largest refugee population in the world.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Afghanistan|publisher=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|url=http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/afghanistan.html|access-date=17 March 2018|archive-date=4 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504092907/http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/afghanistan.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the UNHCR, there are almost 2.5 million registered refugees from Afghanistan. Most of these refugees fled the region due to war and persecution. The majority have resettled in Pakistan and Iran, though it became increasingly common to migrate further west to the European Union. Afghanistan faced over 40 years of conflict dating back to the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion in 1979]]. Since then, the nation faced fluctuating levels of [[War in Afghanistan (1978–present)|civil war]] amidst unending unrest. The increase in refugee numbers was primarily attributed to the [[Taliban]] presence within Afghanistan. Their retreat in 2001 led to nearly 6 million Afghan refugees returning to their homeland. However, after the [[Taliban insurgency]] against NATO-led forces and subsequent [[Fall of Kabul (2021)|Fall of Kabul]], nearly 2.5 million refugees fled Afghanistan.<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 September 2016|title=Afghanistan: What you need to know about one of the world's longest refugee crises|work=International Rescue Committee (IRC)|url=https://www.rescue.org/article/afghanistan-what-you-need-know-about-one-worlds-longest-refugee-crises|access-date=7 April 2018|archive-date=7 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507161524/https://www.rescue.org/article/afghanistan-what-you-need-know-about-one-worlds-longest-refugee-crises|url-status=live}}</ref>
==== Boko Haram insurgency ==== {{main|Boko Haram insurgency}} The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria has resulted in the deaths of 20,000 people and displaced at least 2 million since 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|date=25 January 2018|title=Nigeria's Boko Haram attacks in numbers – as lethal as ever|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42735414|access-date=1 September 2021|archive-date=1 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901010847/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-42735414|url-status=live}}</ref> Around 75,000 Nigerians requested asylum in the EU in 2015 and 2016, around 3 per cent of the total.<ref name="Eurostat2015-2017" />
== Means of entry into Europe == [[File:Sea arrivals to Greece and Italy, 2015.png|thumb|upright=2|Mediterranean sea arrivals to Greece and Italy from January 2015 to September 2016, according to UNHCR data<ref name="UNHCR2015">{{cite web|title=Arrivals to Greece, Italy and Spain. January–December 2015|url=http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MonthlyTrendsofNationalities-ArrivalstoGreeceItalyandSpain-31December2015.pdf|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=1 February 2016|archive-date=28 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328233536/http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/MonthlyTrendsofNationalities-ArrivalstoGreeceItalyandSpain-31December2015.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>]] [[File:Aegean Sea with island groups labeled.gif|thumb|Island groups of the [[Aegean Sea]] ]]In all, over 1 million refugees and migrants crossed the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] (mostly the [[Aegean Sea]]) in 2015, three to four times more than the previous year.<ref name="Miles One Million 2015">{{cite news|last=Miles|first=Tom|date=22 December 2015|title=EU gets one million migrants in 2015, smugglers seen making $1 billion|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-idUSKBN0U50WI20151222|access-date=22 December 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222145734/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-idUSKBN0U50WI20151222|url-status=live}}</ref> 80% were fleeing from wars in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.<ref>{{Cite news|date=3 March 2016|title=Why is EU struggling with migrants and asylum?|newspaper=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286|access-date=17 November 2016|archive-date=23 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923214115/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286|url-status=live}}</ref> About 85% of sea arrivals were in [[Greece]] (via Turkey) and 15% in [[Italy]] (via [[North Africa|northern Africa]]). The European Union's external land borders (e.g., in Greece, [[Bulgaria]] or [[Finland]]) played only a minor role.<ref name=":12">{{cite news|date=22 December 2015|title=Irregular Migrant, Refugee Arrivals in Europe Top One Million in 2015: IOM|publisher=IOM|url=https://www.iom.int/news/irregular-migrant-refugee-arrivals-europe-top-one-million-2015-iom|access-date=23 December 2015|archive-date=28 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328233957/https://www.iom.int/news/irregular-migrant-refugee-arrivals-europe-top-one-million-2015-iom|url-status=live}}</ref>
Some also crossed via the Central Mediterranean Sea. This path is a much longer and considerably more dangerous journey than the relatively short trip across the Aegean. As a result, this route was responsible for a large majority of migrant deaths in 2015, even though it was far less used. An estimated 2,889 died in the Central Mediterranean; 731 died in the Aegean sea.<ref name=":12" />
The [[European Union|EU]] [[European Border and Coast Guard Agency|Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex)]] uses the terms "illegal" and "irregular" border crossings for crossings of an EU external border but not at an official [[Border checkpoint|border-crossing point]].<ref name="Frontex2016, p.22">{{cite web|date=March 2016|title=Risk Analysis for 2016|url=https://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/Annual_Risk_Analysis_2016.pdf#page=24|publisher=[[Frontex]]|page=22|access-date=27 March 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308194249/https://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/Annual_Risk_Analysis_2016.pdf#page=24|url-status=live}}</ref> These include people rescued at sea.<ref name="Frontex2016, p.20">{{cite web|date=March 2016|title=Risk Analysis for 2016|url=https://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/Annual_Risk_Analysis_2016.pdf#page=22|publisher=[[Frontex]]|page=20|access-date=27 March 2020|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308194249/https://frontex.europa.eu/assets/Publications/Risk_Analysis/Annual_Risk_Analysis_2016.pdf#page=22|url-status=live}}</ref> Because many migrants cross more than one external EU border (for instance when traveling through the Balkans from Greece to Hungary), the total number of irregular EU external border crossings is often higher than the number of irregular migrants arriving in the EU in a year. News media sometimes misrepresent these figures as given by Frontex.<ref name="auto1" />
=== Turkey to Greece === [[File:Refugees on a boat crossing the Mediterranean sea, heading from Turkish coast to the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, 29 January 2016.jpg|thumb|Migrants crossing the [[Aegean Sea]] from Turkey to the Greek island of [[Lesbos]], January 2016]] [[File:20151213 Syrians refugees from Turkey plastic boat airport area of Lesvos Greece.ogv|thumb|upright=1.3636364|A group of Syrian refugees arrive by boat from Turkey to airport area of Mytilini, Lesbos island, Greece, 13 December 2015]] Because the refugees entering Europe in 2015 were predominantly from the [[Middle East]], the vast majority first entered the EU by crossing the Aegean Sea from [[Turkey]] to [[Greece]] by boat; Turkey's land border has been inaccessible to migrants since a border fence was constructed there in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Ledwith|first2=Gabriela|last2= Baczynska|first1= Sara|date=4 April 2016|title=How Europe built fences to keep people out|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-fences-insight-idUSKCN0X10U7|access-date=9 August 2021|archive-date=9 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809132431/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-fences-insight-idUSKCN0X10U7|url-status=live}}</ref> A number of [[Greek islands]] are less than 6 km (4 mi) from the Turkish coast, such as [[Chios]], [[Kos]], [[Lesbos]], [[Leros]], [[Kastellorizo]], [[Agathonisi]], [[Farmakonisi]], [[Rhodes]], [[Samos]] and [[Symi]]. At one point, incoming refugees on some of these islands outnumbered locals.<ref>{{cite news|date=20 February 2016|title=Refugees and migrants outnumber Kastelorizo's residents|work=Protothema|url=http://en.protothema.gr/refugees-and-migrants-outnumber-kastelorizos-residents/|access-date=24 February 2016|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223526/http://en.protothema.gr/refugees-and-migrants-outnumber-kastelorizos-residents/|url-status=live}}</ref>
A small number of people (34,000 or 3% of the total) used Turkey's land borders with Greece or Bulgaria.<ref name=":12" /> From Greece, most tried to make their way toward through the [[Balkans]] to [[Central Europe|Central]] and [[Northern Europe]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Beauchamp|first=Zack|date=27 September 2015|title=The Syrian refugee crisis, explained in one map|url=https://www.vox.com/2015/9/27/9394959/syria-refugee-map|access-date=8 July 2021|website=Vox|language=en|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184558/https://www.vox.com/2015/9/27/9394959/syria-refugee-map|url-status=live}}</ref> This represented a stark change to the previous year, when most refugees and migrants landed in Italy from northern Africa. In fact, in the first half of 2015, [[Italy]] was, as in previous years, the most common landing point for refugees entering the EU, especially the southern [[Sicily|Sicilian]] island of [[Lampedusa immigrant reception center|Lampedusa]]. By June, however, [[Greece]] overtook Italy in the number of arrivals and became the starting point of a flow of refugees and migrants moving through [[Balkan]] countries to [[Northern Europe]]an countries, particularly Germany and Sweden. By the end of 2015, about 80% of migrants had landed in Greece, compared to only 15% in Italy.<ref name="UNHCRarrivals1" />
Greece appealed to the European Union for assistance; the [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights|UNCHR]] European Director Vincent Cochetel said facilities for migrants on the Greek islands were "totally inadequate" and the islands were in "total chaos".<ref>{{cite news|date=7 August 2015|title=Migrant 'chaos' on Greek islands – UN refugee agency|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33818193|access-date=28 August 2015|archive-date=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824214637/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33818193|url-status=live}}</ref> Frontex's Operation Poseidon, aimed at patrolling the [[Aegean Sea]], was underfunded and undermanned, with only 11 coastal patrol vessels, one ship, two helicopters, two aircraft, and a budget of €18 million.<ref name="PopFrontexGreece">{{cite news|last1=Pop|first1=Valentina|date=7 August 2015|title=Greek Government Holds Emergency Meeting Over Soaring Migrant Arrivals|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/greek-government-holds-emergency-meeting-over-soaring-migrant-arrivals-1438959148|access-date=19 August 2015|archive-date=19 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819035937/http://www.wsj.com/articles/greek-government-holds-emergency-meeting-over-soaring-migrant-arrivals-1438959148|url-status=live}}</ref>
A section of northeastern Croatia is believed to contain up to 60,000 [[Unexploded ordnance|unexploded]] [[land mine]]s from the [[Croatian War of Independence]] in the 1990s. Refugees were feared to be at risk of unknowingly detonating some of these minefields as they crossed the area. However, there were no reported cases of this happening in 2015 or 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|date=16 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Croatia mines warning after border crossing|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34268043|access-date=16 July 2021|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716141011/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34268043|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Northern Africa to Italy === The number of people making the considerably more dangerous sea journey from [[North Africa|northern Africa]] to Italy was comparatively low at around 150,000.<ref name=":12" /> Most of the refugees and migrants taking this route came from African countries, especially [[Eritrea]], [[Nigeria]], and [[Somalia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistiche immigrazione|url=http://www.libertaciviliimmigrazione.interno.it/dipim/site/it/documentazione/statistiche/servizi_civili/2016/1_2016_Statistiche_2015_sbarchix_esiti_domande_di_asilo_e_posti_in_strutture_accoglienza.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328233432/http://www.libertaciviliimmigrazione.interno.it/dipim/site/it/documentazione/statistiche/servizi_civili/2016/1_2016_Statistiche_2015_sbarchix_esiti_domande_di_asilo_e_posti_in_strutture_accoglienza.html|archive-date=28 March 2016|publisher=Italian Ministry of the Interior}}</ref> At least 2,889 people died during the journey.<ref name=":12" />
=== Other routes === A few other routes were also used by some refugees, although they were comparatively low in number. One such route was entering [[Finland]] or [[Norway]] via [[Russia]]; on a few days Arctic border stations in these countries saw several hundred "irregular" border crossings per day.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|last1=Szymański|first1=Piotr|last2=Żochowski|first2=Piotr|last3=Rodkiewicz|first3=Witold|date=6 April 2016|title=Enforced cooperation: the Finnish-Russian migration crisis|url=https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/analyses/2016-04-06/enforced-cooperation-finnish-russian-migration-crisis|url-status=live|access-date=16 July 2021|website=[[Centre for Eastern Studies]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413095659/http://www.osw.waw.pl:80/en/publikacje/analyses/2016-04-06/enforced-cooperation-finnish-russian-migration-crisis |archive-date=13 April 2016 }}</ref> Norway recorded around 6,000 refugees crossing its [[Norway–Russia border|northern border]] in 2015.<ref name="PancevskyColdShoulder">{{cite news|last1=Pancevsky|first1=Bojan|date=4 September 2016|title=Norway builds Arctic border fence as it gives migrants the cold shoulder|newspaper=[[The Times of London]]|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/norway-builds-arctic-border-fence-as-it-gives-migrants-the-cold-shoulder-hf37jlwqq|access-date=6 September 2016|archive-date=4 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160904035536/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/norway-builds-arctic-border-fence-as-it-gives-migrants-the-cold-shoulder-hf37jlwqq|url-status=live}}</ref> Because it is illegal to drive from Russia to Norway without a permit, and crossing on foot is prohibited, some used a legal loophole and made the crossing by bicycle.<ref name="Osborne">{{cite news|last1=Osborne|first1=Samuel|date=25 August 2016|title=Norway to build border fence with Russia to keep out refugees|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/norway-border-fence-russia-refugees-refugee-crisis-schengen-syria-war-a7208806.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/norway-border-fence-russia-refugees-refugee-crisis-schengen-syria-war-a7208806.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="HovlandArcticRoute">{{cite news|last1=Hovland|first1=Kjetil Malkenes|date=3 September 2015|title=Syrian Refugees Take Arctic Route to Europe More than 150 refugees have entered Norway from Arctic Russia this year|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/syrian-refugees-take-arctic-route-to-europe-1441273767|access-date=6 September 2016|archive-date=19 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919134058/http://www.wsj.com/articles/syrian-refugees-take-arctic-route-to-europe-1441273767|url-status=live}}</ref> A year later in 2016, Norway built a short 200 m fence at the [[Storskog]] border crossing,<ref name="NYTimesFence">{{cite news|date=24 August 2016|title=Norway Will Build a Fence at Its Arctic Border With Russia|newspaper=The New York Times|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/europe/russia-norway-border-fence-refugees.html|access-date=6 September 2016|archive-date=28 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828033432/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/europe/russia-norway-border-fence-refugees.html?|url-status=live}}</ref> although it was viewed as a mostly symbolic measure.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Roos|first=Dave|date=25 January 2019|title=Norway's Ridiculously Short Border Fence|url=https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/norways-ridiculously-short-border-fence.htm|url-status=live|access-date=9 August 2021|website=[[HowStuffWorks]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126062540/https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/norways-ridiculously-short-border-fence.htm |archive-date=26 January 2019 }}</ref>
Some observers argued that the Russian government facilitated the influx in an attempt to warn European leaders against maintaining [[International sanctions during the Ukrainian crisis|sanctions]] imposed after [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Russia's annexation of Crimea]].<ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=de Carbonnel|first=Alissa|date=20 November 2015|title=A (Very) Cold War on the Russia-Norway Border|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/20/a-very-cold-war-on-the-russia-norway-border-syrian-refugees-bicycles/|url-status=live|access-date=16 July 2021|website=[[Foreign Policy (magazine)|Foreign Policy]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120114242/http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/20/a-very-cold-war-on-the-russia-norway-border-syrian-refugees-bicycles/ |archive-date=20 November 2015 }}</ref> In January 2016, a [[Russia]]n border guard admitted that the Russian [[Federal Security Service]] was enabling migrants to enter Finland.<ref>{{cite news|date=24 January 2016|title=Russian border guard to STT: Russian security service behind northeast asylum traffic|work=[[YLE]]|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/russian_border_guard_to_stt_russian_security_service_behind_northeast_asylum_traffic/8620174|access-date=13 December 2017|archive-date=13 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213201840/https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/russian_border_guard_to_stt_russian_security_service_behind_northeast_asylum_traffic/8620174|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Role of smugglers === Asylum seekers are usually required to be physically present in the EU country where they wish to request asylum. However, there are few formal ways to allow them to reach Europe for this purpose.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Burris|first=Scott|date=12 September 2015|title=Why Do Refugees Risk the Deadly Boat Crossing to Europe? It's the Law|url=https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2015/09/12/why-do-refugees-risk-the-deadly-boat-crossing-to-europe-its-the-law/|website=Bill of Health|access-date=29 July 2020|archive-date=29 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729101152/https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2015/09/12/why-do-refugees-risk-the-deadly-boat-crossing-to-europe-its-the-law/|url-status=live}}</ref> For that reason, many asylum seekers paid [[People smuggling|smugglers]] for advice, logistical help and transportation through Europe, especially for sea crossings.<ref name=":3" /> Human traffickers charged $1,000 to $1,500 (€{{From USD|1000|FRA|year=2015|round=yes}} – €{{From USD|1500|FRA|year=2015|round=yes}}) for the 25-minute boat ride from [[Bodrum]], Turkey to [[Kos]].<ref name="Yeginsu">{{cite news |last1=Yeginsu |first1=Ceylan |date=16 August 2015 |title=Amid Perilous Mediterranean Crossings, Migrants Find a Relatively Easy Path to Greece |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/world/europe/turkey-greece-mediterranean-kos-bodrum-migrants-refugees.html |access-date=16 August 2015 |archive-date=17 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817020220/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/world/europe/turkey-greece-mediterranean-kos-bodrum-migrants-refugees.html |url-status=live }}</ref> An onward journey to Germany which would not necessarily involve smugglers was estimated to cost €3,000 – €4,000. A journey to Britain was estimated to cost €10,000 – €12,000.<ref name="Yeginsu"/> Airplane tickets directly from Turkey to Germany or Britain would have been far cheaper and safer, but the EU requires airlines flying into the [[Schengen Area]] to check that passengers have a visa or are exempted from carrying one (these rules are referred to as "carrier responsibility").<ref>{{Cite web|last=Purtill|first=Corinne|title=This airline wants to safely fly refugees into Europe. Here's why it needs to exist|url=https://qz.com/510989/this-airline-wants-to-safely-fly-refugees-into-europe-heres-why-it-needs-to-exist/|access-date=18 July 2021|website=Quartz|date=25 September 2015|language=en|archive-date=18 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718062347/https://qz.com/510989/this-airline-wants-to-safely-fly-refugees-into-europe-heres-why-it-needs-to-exist/|url-status=live}}</ref> This prevented would-be migrants without a visa from being allowed on aircraft, boats, or trains entering the Schengen Area, and caused them to resort to smugglers.<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 October 2015|title=Refugee crisis: Smugglers offer 'bad weather discount' to migrants willing to make winter Mediterranean crossing|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/refugee-crisis-smugglers-offer-discount-refugees-willing-cross-bad-weather-1526441|access-date=28 August 2021|website=International Business Times UK|language=en|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828223910/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/refugee-crisis-smugglers-offer-discount-refugees-willing-cross-bad-weather-1526441|url-status=live}}</ref> Humanitarian visas are generally not given to refugees who want to apply for asylum.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=16 November 2015|title=Europe's Refugee Crisis|url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/11/16/europes-refugee-crisis/agenda-action|access-date=28 August 2021|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en|archive-date=5 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105044918/https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/11/16/europes-refugee-crisis/agenda-action|url-status=live}}</ref>
In September 2015, [[Europol]] estimated there were 30,000 suspected migrant smugglers operating in and around Europe. By the end of 2016, this number had increased to 55,000. 63 per cent of the smugglers were from Europe, 14 per cent from the Middle East, 13 per cent from Africa, nine per cent from Asia (excluding the Middle East) and one per cent from the Americas.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Carmichael|first=Lachlan|title=EU tracking 65,000 migrant smugglers: Europol|work=The Citizen|url=https://citizen.co.za/news/news-africa/1879124/europe-migrants-smugglers/|access-date=29 April 2018|archive-date=29 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429225441/https://citizen.co.za/news/news-africa/1879124/europe-migrants-smugglers/|url-status=live}}</ref>
On several occasions, unscrupulous smugglers caused the deaths of the people they were transporting, particularly by using poorly-maintained and overfilled boats and refusing to provide life jackets.<ref name="Yeginsu" /><ref name="KilledbyFumes">{{cite news|date=15 August 2015|title=40 migrants 'killed by fumes' in hold of boat off Libya|work=Irish Independent|url=http://www.independent.ie/world-news/africa/40-migrants-killed-by-fumes-in-hold-of-boat-off-libya-31453815.html|access-date=17 August 2015|archive-date=17 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817084828/http://www.independent.ie/world-news/africa/40-migrants-killed-by-fumes-in-hold-of-boat-off-libya-31453815.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At least 3771 refugees and migrants drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015. A single shipwreck near [[Lampedusa]] in April accounted for around 800 deaths.<ref name=":15">{{Cite news|date=22 April 2015|title=The Mediterranean's deadly migrant routes|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32387224|access-date=11 July 2021|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711055629/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32387224|url-status=live}}</ref> Apart from drownings, the deadliest incident occurred on 27 August 2015, [[Burgenland corpses discovery|when 71 people were found dead in an unventilated food truck]] near [[Vienna]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/oesterreich/chronik/771233_Mehr-als-70-Tote-bei-Fluechtlingsdrama-auf-der-A4.html |title=Vier Kinder unter den 71 Toten von Parndorf |author=Wz Online, Apa |work=wienerzeitung.at |date=28 August 2015 |access-date=3 October 2015 |language=de |archive-date=5 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005025612/http://www.wienerzeitung.at/nachrichten/oesterreich/chronik/771233_Mehr-als-70-Tote-bei-Fluechtlingsdrama-auf-der-A4.html |url-status=live }}; '''See also''': [[:de:Flüchtlingstragödie bei Parndorf|'Refugee tragedy near Parndorf' article on German Wikipedia]]</ref><ref name="DW 2017"/> Eleven of the smugglers responsible were later arrested and charged with murder and homicide in Hungary. The charges and trial took place in Hungary as authorities determined that the deaths had occurred there.<ref name="DW 2017">{{Cite news|date=21 June 2017|title=Trial starts for men charged with freezer truck deaths of 71 migrants|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|url=https://www.dw.com/en/trial-starts-for-men-charged-with-freezer-truck-deaths-of-71-migrants/a-39343045|access-date=12 July 2021|archive-date=12 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712033721/https://www.dw.com/en/trial-starts-for-men-charged-with-freezer-truck-deaths-of-71-migrants/a-39343045|url-status=live}}</ref>
The [[Mafia Capitale investigation]] revealed that the [[Organized crime in Italy|Italian Mafia]] profited from the migrant crisis and exploited refugees.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Politi|first=James|date=25 July 2015|title=Italy's Mafia learns to profit from the migration crisis|work=[[Financial Times]]|url=https://www.ft.com/content/0d0371d0-31f4-11e5-8873-775ba7c2ea3d|access-date=18 July 2021|archive-date=18 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718030715/https://www.ft.com/content/0d0371d0-31f4-11e5-8873-775ba7c2ea3d|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ryan|first=Rosanna|date=29 June 2015|title='Bigger than drugs': how the Mafia profits from the Mediterranean migrant crisis|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/how-the-mafia-profits-from-the-mediterranean-migrant-crisis/6573084|access-date=18 July 2021|website=ABC Radio National|language=en-AU|archive-date=18 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718030714/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/how-the-mafia-profits-from-the-mediterranean-migrant-crisis/6573084|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Peak of the crisis== {{See also|Timeline of the 2015 European migrant crisis}} {{image frame |border=no |width=550 |caption=Migrant and refugee arrivals in the EU, 2015–16.<ref>{{Citation|title=Detections of illegal border-crossings statistics|url=https://frontex.europa.eu/we-know/migratory-map/|publication-date=2 July 2021|publisher=[[Frontex]]|access-date=10 July 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185731/https://frontex.europa.eu/we-know/migratory-map/|url-status=live}}</ref> Defined as monthly "irregular border crossings" into the EU. The net number of refugees entering the EU is considerably lower because many migrants were double-counted as "illegally crossing an EU border": first when arriving in Greece, and again when entering the EU for the second time through Hungary or Croatia.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nielsen |first1=Nikolaj |title=Frontex double counts migrants entering EU |url=https://euobserver.com/migration/130661 |access-date=18 July 2021 |agency=[[EUobserver]] |date=13 October 2015 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718235504/https://euobserver.com/migration/130661 |url-status=live }}</ref> | content={{Chart|definition=Migrant and refugee arrivals in the EU, 2015-16.chart|data=Migrant and refugee arrivals in the EU, 2015-16.tab|Width=450}} }}
=== Gradual surge in early 2015 ===
The first half of 2015 saw around 230,000 people enter the EU. The most common points of entry were Italy and Greece.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Clayton|first1=Jonathan|last2=Holland|first2=Hereward|date=30 December 2015|title=Over one million sea arrivals reach Europe in 2015|url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2015/12/5683d0b56/million-sea-arrivals-reach-europe-2015.html|access-date=11 July 2021|website=UNHCR|language=en|archive-date=20 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620014943/https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2015/12/5683d0b56/million-sea-arrivals-reach-europe-2015.html|url-status=live}}</ref> From there, arrivals either applied for asylum directly or attempted to travel to Northern and Western European countries, mostly by traveling through the [[Balkans]] and re-entering the EU through [[Hungary]] or [[Croatia]].
Hungary was required by EU law to register them as asylum seekers and attempted to prevent them from traveling on to other EU countries.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} At the same time, Hungarian prime minister [[Viktor Orbán]] began using fear of immigration as a domestic political campaign issue<ref>{{Cite web|last=Judy|first=Dempsey|date=25 September 2015|title=Understanding Central Europe's Opposition to Refugees|url=https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/61404|access-date=10 July 2021|website=Carnegie Europe|language=en|archive-date=10 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710144746/https://carnegieeurope.eu/strategiceurope/61404|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>"[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hungarys-leader-to-migrants-please-dont-come/2015/09/03/d5244c6d-53d8-4e82-b9d7-35ec41ca2944_story.html 'People in Europe are full of fear' over refugee influx] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920092841/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hungarys-leader-to-migrants-please-dont-come/2015/09/03/d5244c6d-53d8-4e82-b9d7-35ec41ca2944_story.html |date=20 September 2015 }}". ''The Washington Post''. 3 September 2015.</ref> and stated his opposition to accepting long-term refugees.<ref>{{Cite news|date=28 January 2016|title=Big, bad Visegrad|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2016/01/28/big-bad-visegrad|access-date=10 July 2021|issn=0013-0613|archive-date=10 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710144746/https://www.economist.com/europe/2016/01/28/big-bad-visegrad|url-status=live}}</ref> By August 2015, Hungary housed about 150,000 refugees<ref>{{Cite web|last=Elgot|first=Jessica|date=31 August 2015|title=Austria defends border checks amid migration crisis|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/31/austria-defends-border-checks-amid-migration-crisis|access-date=11 July 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=12 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712191224/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/31/austria-defends-border-checks-amid-migration-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref> in makeshift [[Refugee camp|camps]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: People treated 'like animals' in Hungary camp|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34216883|access-date=11 July 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709193158/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34216883|url-status=live}}</ref> Many had little desire to stay in Hungary; due to the government's unwelcoming stance, squalid conditions in the camps, and their poor prospects of being allowed to stay.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hartocollis|first=Anemona|date=5 September 2015|title=Why Migrants Don't Want to Stay in Hungary|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/reporters-notebook/migrants/hungary-treatment-refugees|access-date=11 July 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711052449/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/reporters-notebook/migrants/hungary-treatment-refugees|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the course of 2015 and 2016, almost everyone who had lodged an asylum claim in Hungary left the country.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nagy |first=Boldizsár |date=November 2016 |title=Hungarian Asylum Law and Policy in 2015–2016: Securitization Instead of Loyal Cooperation |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/german-law-journal/article/hungarian-asylum-law-and-policy-in-20152016-securitization-instead-of-loyal-cooperation/C7A18EF486832E058FEF94430C3B9C2A |journal=German Law Journal |language=en |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=1037 |doi=10.1017/S2071832200021581 |issn=2071-8322|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://euaa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/public/Description-of-the-Hungarian-asylum-system-18-May-final.pdf |title=Description of the Hungarian asylum system |publisher=European Asylum Support Office |pages=32 |language=en}}</ref>
On 21 August 2015, the German [[Federal Office for Migration and Refugees]] was overwhelmed. This was attributed to the sheer mass of incoming asylum applications, the inherent complexity of determining whether applicants had previously claimed asylum in another EU country, and that almost all asylum applications by Syrians were being granted anyway{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Due to their lack of capacity to process applications the [[Federal Office for Migration and Refugees|German office]] suspended the [[Dublin Regulation]] for Syrians.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Holehouse |first=Matthew |date=24 August 2015 |title=Germany drops EU rules to allow in Syrian refugees |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11821822/Germany-drops-EU-rules-to-allow-in-Syrian-refugees.html |access-date=17 July 2019 |archive-date=12 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612103828/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11821822/Germany-drops-EU-rules-to-allow-in-Syrian-refugees.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 August 2015 |title=Germany suspends 'Dublin rules' for Syrians |work=DW |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-suspends-dublin-rules-for-syrians/a-18671698 |access-date=6 May 2021 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506175545/https://www.dw.com/en/germany-suspends-dublin-rules-for-syrians/a-18671698 |url-status=live }}</ref> Interpreting this to mean that Germany would begin accepting larger numbers of refugees many immigrants attempted to reach Germany from Hungary and southeastern Europe.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last1=Schönhagen|first2=Ulrich|last2= Herbert|first1= Jakob|title=Vor dem 5. September. Die "Flüchtlingskrise" 2015 im historischen Kontext {{!}} APuZ|url=https://www.bpb.de/apuz/312832/vor-dem-5-september-die-fluechtlingskrise-2015-im-historischen-kontext|access-date=11 July 2021|website=bpb.de|date=17 July 2020|language=de|archive-date=19 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619212657/https://www.bpb.de/apuz/312832/vor-dem-5-september-die-fluechtlingskrise-2015-im-historischen-kontext|url-status=live}}</ref> They were met with a warm reception from the German crowds.<ref>{{cite news|author=Emma Graham-Harrison|date=5 September 2015|title=Cheering German crowds greet refugees after long trek from Budapest to Munich|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/05/refugee-crisis-warm-welcome-for-people-bussed-from-budapest|access-date=24 October 2015|archive-date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020023030/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/05/refugee-crisis-warm-welcome-for-people-bussed-from-budapest|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== September–November 2015: peak of the crisis ===
==== Germany accepts refugees stranded in Hungary ==== [[File:Wien - Westbahnhof, Migranten am 5 Sep 2015.jpg|thumb|Refugees at Vienna's Westbahnhof railway station, 5 September 2015]] [[File:Drehscheibe Köln-Bonn Airport - Ankunft Flüchtlinge 5. Oktober 2015-0308.jpg|thumb|Newly arrived refugees in Germany, October 2015]] On 1 September, Hungarian government closed outbound rail traffic from [[Budapest|Budapest's]] [[Budapest Keleti railway station|Keleti station]], which many refugees were using to travel to [[Austria]] and Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Nolan|first1=Daniel|last2=Connolly|first2=Kate|date=1 September 2015|title=Hungary closes main Budapest station to refugees|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/migrant-crisis-hungary-closes-main-budapest-station|url-status=live|access-date=23 July 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902042054/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/migrant-crisis-hungary-closes-main-budapest-station |archive-date=2 September 2015 }}</ref> Within days, a massive buildup of people had formed at the station. On 4 September, several thousand set off to make the 150 km journey towards Austria on foot, at which point the Hungarian government relented and no longer tried to stop them. In an effort to force the Austrian and German governments' hands, Hungary chartered buses to the Austrian border for both those walking and those who had stayed behind at the station.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Graham-Harrison|first1=Emma|last2=Henley|first2=Jon|date=4 September 2015|title=Hungary to take thousands of refugees to Austrian border by bus|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/hundreds-refugees-march-austria-budapest-hungary-syrians|url-status=live|access-date=23 July 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905114719/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/hundreds-refugees-march-austria-budapest-hungary-syrians |archive-date=5 September 2015 }}</ref> Unwilling to resort to violence to keep them out, and faced with a potential humanitarian crisis if the huge numbers languished in Hungary indefinitely,<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=6 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Activist convoy drives to Hungary|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34166882|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=23 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723055235/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34166882|url-status=live}}</ref> Germany and Austria jointly announced on 4 September that they would allow the migrants to cross their borders and apply for asylum.<ref>{{Cite news|date=5 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Austria to let people in from Hungary|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34159780|access-date=23 July 2021|archive-date=13 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513162054/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34159780|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AllowedToCross2">{{cite web|title=The Latest: Austria, Germany to accept bused migrants|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-latest-austria-germany-to-accept-bused-migrants/ar-AAdWjak?li=BBgzzfc&ocid=iehp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015140038/http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-latest-austria-germany-to-accept-bused-migrants/ar-AAdWjak?li=BBgzzfc&ocid=iehp|archive-date=15 October 2015|access-date=5 September 2015|publisher=MSN}}</ref> Across Germany, crowds formed at train stations to applaud and welcome the arrivals.<ref>{{cite web|date=6 September 2015|title=Germans welcome thousands of newly arrived refugees|url=http://www.dw.com/en/germans-welcome-thousands-of-newly-arrived-refugees/a-18696722|publisher=Deutsche Welle|access-date=6 September 2015|archive-date=8 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908024110/https://www.dw.com/en/germans-welcome-thousands-of-newly-arrived-refugees/a-18696722|url-status=live}}</ref>
In the following three months, an estimated 550,000 people entered Germany to apply for asylum, around half the total for the entire year.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=18 June 2021|title=Asylanträge in Deutschland {{!}} bpb|url=https://www.bpb.de/gesellschaft/migration/flucht/zahlen-zu-asyl/265708/asylantraege-und-asylsuchende|url-status=live|access-date=26 July 2021|website=Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925195704/http://www.bpb.de:80/gesellschaft/migration/flucht/zahlen-zu-asyl/265708/asylantraege-und-asylsuchende |archive-date=25 September 2019 }}</ref> Though under pressure from conservative politicians, the German government refused to set an upper limit to the number of asylum applications it would accept, with [[Angela Merkel]] arguing that the "fundamental [[Right of asylum|right to seek refuge]]...from the hell of war knows no limit."<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Bröcker|first1=Michael|last2=Quadbeck|first2=Eva|date=11 September 2015|title=Interview mit Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel: "Grundrecht auf Asyl kennt keine Obergrenze"|url=https://rp-online.de/politik/deutschland/angela-merkel-das-grundrecht-auf-asyl-kennt-keine-obergrenze_aid-9533771|url-status=live|access-date=12 July 2021|website=[[Rheinische Post]]|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208071052/https://rp-online.de/politik/deutschland/angela-merkel-das-grundrecht-auf-asyl-kennt-keine-obergrenze_aid-9533771 |archive-date=8 February 2019 }}</ref> She famously declared her confidence that Germany could cope with the situation with "[[wir schaffen das]]" (roughly, "we can manage this"). This phrase quickly became a symbol of her government's refugee policy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Livingstone |first=Emmet |date=17 September 2016 |title=Angela Merkel drops the 'we can do it' slogan |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-drops-the-we-can-do-it-slogan-catchphrase-migration-refugees/ |access-date=19 August 2022 |website=Politico |language=en-US |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819083509/https://www.politico.eu/article/angela-merkel-drops-the-we-can-do-it-slogan-catchphrase-migration-refugees/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Chaotic border closures in central Europe ==== Within ten days of Germany's decision to accept the refugees in Hungary, the sudden influx had overwhelmed many of the major refugee processing and accommodation centres in Germany and the country began enacting border controls<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=13 September 2015|title=Deutschland will Grenzen dicht machen|url=https://www.dw.com/de/deutschland-will-grenzen-dicht-machen/a-18712045|url-status=live|access-date=24 July 2021|website=[[Deutsche Welle]]|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915234418/http://www.dw.com:80/de/deutschland-will-grenzen-dicht-machen/a-18712045 |archive-date=15 September 2015 }}</ref> and allowing people to file asylum applications directly at the Austrian border.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wo sind Deutschlands Grenzen?|url=https://www.haz.de/Nachrichten/Politik/Deutschland-Welt/Fluechtlingskrise-Wo-sind-Deutschlands-Grenzen|url-status=live|access-date=26 July 2021|website=[[Hannoversche Allgemeine]]|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726013345/https://www.haz.de/Nachrichten/Politik/Deutschland-Welt/Fluechtlingskrise-Wo-sind-Deutschlands-Grenzen |archive-date=26 July 2021 }}</ref> Although Austria also accepted some asylum seekers, for a time the country effectively became a distribution centre to Germany, slowing and regulating their transit into Germany and providing temporary housing, food and health care.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Palko Karasz|author2=Barbara Surk|date=22 September 2015|title=Austria Takes Role of Distribution Center for Germany-Bound Migrants|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/world/europe/austria-takes-on-role-of-distribution-center-for-migrants.html|access-date=22 September 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924002408/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/world/europe/austria-takes-on-role-of-distribution-center-for-migrants.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On some days, Austria took in up to 10,000 Germany-bound migrants arriving from Slovenia and Hungary.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Sewell Chan|author2=Palko Karasz|date=19 September 2015|title=Thousands of Migrants Flood into Austria|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/world/europe/thousands-flood-into-austria-as-refugees-are-bounced-around-europe.html|access-date=20 September 2015|archive-date=20 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920045536/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/world/europe/thousands-flood-into-austria-as-refugees-are-bounced-around-europe.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Germany's imposition of border controls had a domino effect on countries to Germany's southeast, as Austria and Slovakia successively enacted their own border controls.<ref name=":18">{{cite news|author1=Melissa Eddy|author2=Dan Bilefsky|date=14 September 2015|title=Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands Introduce Border Controls|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/world/europe/europe-migrants-germany.html|access-date=14 September 2015|archive-date=14 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914162408/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/world/europe/europe-migrants-germany.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=17 September 2015|title=Slovenia Reinstating Controls at Border with Hungary|url=http://www.sloveniatimes.com/slovenia-reinstating-controls-at-border-with-hungary|url-status=live|access-date=19 September 2015|website=Slovenia Times|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921091012/http://www.sloveniatimes.com:80/slovenia-reinstating-controls-at-border-with-hungary |archive-date=21 September 2015 }}</ref> Hungary closed its border with Serbia entirely with a [[Hungarian border barrier|fence]] that had been under construction for several months, forcing migrants to pass through Croatia and Slovenia instead.<ref name="HungaryCroatia2">{{cite news|author=Rick Lyman|date=16 October 2015|title=Hungary to Close Its Border With Croatia in Migrant Crackdown|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/17/world/europe/hungary-croatia-refugees-migrants.html|access-date=16 October 2015|archive-date=16 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016201848/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/17/world/europe/hungary-croatia-refugees-migrants.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Croatia tried to force them back into Hungary, which responded with military force.<ref name=":19">{{Cite web|last1=Kingsley|first1=Patrick|last2=Graham-Harrison|first2=Emma|date=19 September 2015|title=UN warns European unity at risk as borders close to refugees|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/19/refugees-croatia-hungary-borders-europe|access-date=11 July 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=14 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714153905/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/19/refugees-croatia-hungary-borders-europe|url-status=live}}</ref> Croatian and Hungarian leaders each blamed each other for the situation and engaged in a bitter back-and-forth about what to do about the tens of thousands of stranded people.<ref name=":19" /> Three days later, Croatia likewise closed its border with Serbia to avoid becoming a transit country.<ref>{{Cite news|date=18 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Croatia closes border crossings with Serbia|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34286432|access-date=11 July 2021|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819095618/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34286432|url-status=live}}</ref> Slovenia kept its borders open, although it did limit the flow of people, resulting in occasionally violent clashes with police.<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 September 2015|title=The Latest: Slovenian police pepper spray migrants at border|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/sns-bc-eu--europe-migrants-the-latest-20150918-story.html|url-status=live|access-date=20 July 2021|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720051300/https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/sns-bc-eu--europe-migrants-the-latest-20150918-story.html |archive-date=20 July 2021 }}</ref>
In October, Hungary also closed its border with Croatia, making Slovenia the only remaining way to reach Austria and Germany. Croatia reopened its own border to Serbia<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 October 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Croatia opens Serbia border|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34576045|access-date=9 August 2021|archive-date=22 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722071024/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34576045|url-status=live}}</ref> and together with Slovenia began permitting migrants to pass through, providing buses and temporary accommodation en route.<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 October 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Croatia opens Serbia border|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34576045|access-date=20 July 2021|archive-date=20 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720054652/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34576045|url-status=live}}</ref> Slovenia did impose a limit of 2,500 people per day, which initially stranded thousands of migrants in Croatia, Serbia and [[North Macedonia]].<ref name="CroatiaSlovenia3">{{cite news|date=18 October 2015|title=Thousands of Migrants Surge into Slovenia in New Route|newspaper=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/17/world/europe/ap-eu-europe-migrants.html|access-date=18 October 2015|archive-date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151020044256/http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10/17/world/europe/ap-eu-europe-migrants.html?|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CroatiaSlovenia4">{{cite web|author=Radul Radovanovic|date=18 October 2015|title=Thousands stranded on new migrant route through Europe|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/thousands-stranded-on-new-migrant-route-through-europe/ar-AAfAX74?li=AAa0dzB&ocid=mailsignout|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117031158/http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/thousands-stranded-on-new-migrant-route-through-europe/ar-AAfAX74?li=AAa0dzB&ocid=mailsignout|archive-date=17 November 2015|access-date=18 October 2015|publisher=Associated Press, MSN}}</ref> In November, Slovenia began erecting temporary fences along the border to direct the flow of people to formal border crossings.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slovenian troops start erecting border fence :: Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija|url=http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/slovenian-troops-start-erecting-border-fence/378397|access-date=11 November 2015|website=rtvslo.si|archive-date=24 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224122425/https://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/slovenia-putting-up-fence-along-border-with-croatia-to-control-migrant-flow/378397|url-status=live}}</ref> Several countries, such as Hungary,<ref>{{cite news|date=10 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Hungarian army stages border protection exercise|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34205849|access-date=19 September 2015|archive-date=12 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912191738/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34205849|url-status=live}}</ref> Slovenia<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=23 February 2016|title=Slovenia deploys army to Schengen zone border to tackle refugee influx|url=https://www.dw.com/en/slovenia-deploys-army-to-schengen-zone-border-to-tackle-refugee-influx/a-19066844|url-status=live|access-date=21 July 2021|website=[[Deutsche Welle]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224101922/http://www.dw.com/en/slovenia-deploys-army-to-schengen-zone-border-to-tackle-refugee-influx/a-19066844 |archive-date=24 February 2016 }}</ref> and Austria,<ref>{{Cite web|date=14 September 2015|title=Austria deploys army to impose border controls|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20150914-austria-deploy-army-introduce-tougher-border-controls-migrants|url-status=live|access-date=21 July 2021|website=[[France 24]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914225528/http://www.france24.com/en/20150914-austria-deploy-army-introduce-tougher-border-controls-migrants |archive-date=14 September 2015 }}</ref> authorized their [[Army|armies]] to secure their borders or repel migrants; some passed legislation specifically to give armed forces more powers.<ref>{{cite news|date=21 October 2015|title=Slovenia gives army more power amid migrant crisis Access to the comments|agency=[[Euronews]]|url=https://www.euronews.com/2015/10/21/slovenia-gives-army-more-power-amid-migrant-crisis|access-date=21 July 2021|archive-date=21 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721043700/https://www.euronews.com/2015/10/21/slovenia-gives-army-more-power-amid-migrant-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref>
EU officials generally reacted with dismay at the border closures, warning that they undermined the mutual trust and [[freedom of movement]] that the bloc was founded on and risked returning to a pre-1990s arrangement of costly [[border control]]s and mistrust. The [[European Commission]] warned EU members against steps that contravene EU treaties and urged members like Hungary to find other ways to cope with an influx of refugees and migrants.<ref>{{cite news|title=EU Warns Against New 'Walls' As Hungary Plans Fence on Serbia Border|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=18 June 2015|url=http://www.rferl.mobi/a/european-commission-hungary-serbia-wall-fence-illegal-migrants/27079829.html|access-date=28 August 2015|publisher=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|archive-date=9 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209154831/http://www.rferl.mobi/a/european-commission-hungary-serbia-wall-fence-illegal-migrants/27079829.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
As winter set in, refugee numbers decreased, although they were still many times higher than in the previous year. In January and February 2016, over 123,000 migrants landed in Greece, compared to about 4,600 in the same period of 2015.<ref>{{cite news|author1=LARRY BUCHANAN|author2=SERGIO PEÇANHA|date=11 March 2016|title=Europe Tries to Shut Down Routes as Migrant Flow Intensifies|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/11/world/europe/europe-tries-to-shut-down-routes-as-migrant-flow-intensifies.html|access-date=13 March 2016|archive-date=13 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313035020/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/03/11/world/europe/europe-tries-to-shut-down-routes-as-migrant-flow-intensifies.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==== Refugees in Sweden ==== Sweden took in over 160,000 refugees in 2015, more per capita than any other country in Europe (other than Turkey). Well over half of these came to Sweden in October and November.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=9 March 2017|title=How did Sweden handle the 2015 refugee crisis? – Radio Sweden|url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6648312|url-status=live|access-date=28 July 2021|website=[[SR International – Radio Sweden|Radio Sweden]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728094525/https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/6648312 |archive-date=28 July 2021 }}</ref> Most entered Sweden by traveling through Germany and then Denmark; few wanted to apply for asylum in Denmark because of its comparatively harsh conditions for asylum seekers.<ref>{{Cite news|date=9 September 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Denmark-Germany rail links suspended|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34203366|access-date=28 July 2021|archive-date=14 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914115752/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34203366|url-status=live}}</ref> There were occasionally scuffles as Danish police tried to register some of the arrivals, as they were technically required to do according to EU rules.<ref>{{cite news|author=Melissa Eddy|date=9 September 2015|title=Migrant Tide Bringing Out Europe's Best and Worst|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/world/europe/migrants-refugee-tensions-in-europe.html|access-date=9 September 2015|archive-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910045119/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/world/europe/migrants-refugee-tensions-in-europe.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Denm2">{{cite news|author=Melissa Eddy|date=9 September 2015|title=Motorvej spærret i begge retninger: Flygtninge går fra Padborg mod Sverige|newspaper=[[TV 2 (Denmark)|TV2 News Denmark]]|url=http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/krimi/2015-09-09-motorvej-spaerret-i-begge-retninger-flygtninge-gaar-fra-padborg-mod-sverige|access-date=19 November 2015|archive-date=20 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120064932/http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/krimi/2015-09-09-motorvej-spaerret-i-begge-retninger-flygtninge-gaar-fra-padborg-mod-sverige|url-status=live}}</ref> In early September, Denmark temporarily closed rail and road border crossings with Germany.<ref>"[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34203366 Migrant crisis: Denmark-Germany rail links suspended] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010120830/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34203366 |date=10 October 2023 }}". BBC News. 9 September 2015.</ref> After initial uncertainty surrounding the rules, Denmark allowed most of the people wishing to travel on to Sweden to do so.<ref name="Denm1">{{cite news|date=7 October 2015|title=Overblik: Det skete da flygtningestrømmen nåede Danmark|newspaper=[[Jyllands-Posten]]|url=http://jyllands-posten.dk/politik/ECE8091454/Overblik%3A+Det+skete+da+flygtningestr%C3%B8mmen+n%C3%A5ede+Danmark/|url-status=dead|access-date=19 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014024126/http://jyllands-posten.dk/politik/ECE8091454/Overblik%3A+Det+skete+da+flygtningestr%C3%B8mmen+n%C3%A5ede+Danmark/|archive-date=14 October 2015}}</ref> In the five weeks following 6 September, approximately 28,800 refugees and migrants crossed the Danish borders, 3,500 of whom applied for asylum in Denmark; the rest continued to other [[Nordic countries]].<ref name="Denm3">{{cite news|author=Jonas Hamidavi R. Moestrup|date=12 October 2015|title=28.800 flygtninge og migranter er kommet til Danmark på fem uger|newspaper=[[TV 2 (Denmark)|TV2 News Denmark]]|url=http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/2015-10-12-28800-flygtninge-og-migranter-er-kommet-til-danmark-paa-fem-uger|access-date=19 November 2015|archive-date=20 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120100729/http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/2015-10-12-28800-flygtninge-og-migranter-er-kommet-til-danmark-paa-fem-uger|url-status=live}}</ref>
In November 2015, Sweden reintroduced border controls at the Danish border, although this did not reduce the number of arrivals as they still had the right to apply for asylum.<ref>{{Cite news|date=22 December 2015|title=Migrant crisis: Sweden operator cancels trains on bridge link|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35159183|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=23 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210823174456/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35159183|url-status=live}}</ref> Within hours of Swedish border control becoming effective, Denmark instituted border controls at the German border.<ref name="sds_4Jan2016">{{cite news|date=4 January 2016|title=Färre än 100 nobbade på Kastrup|work=[[Sydsvenskan]]|url=http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sverige/inga-koer-vid-kritiserade-kontrollen/|access-date=5 January 2016|archive-date=7 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107035736/http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sverige/inga-koer-vid-kritiserade-kontrollen/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some bypassed the border controls by taking a ferry to [[Trelleborg]] instead of the train to [[Hyllie]],<ref name="sds_5jan2016">{{cite news|date=5 January 2016|title=Bara 48 asylsökande till Skåne under måndagen|work=[[Sydsvenskan]]|url=http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sverige/bara-48-asylsokande-till-skane-under-mandagen/|access-date=5 January 2016|archive-date=29 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129161308/http://www.sydsvenskan.se/sverige/bara-48-asylsokande-till-skane-under-mandagen/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="sds_4Jan2016" /> The border controls were never fully lifted before the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020, which saw renewed border closures throughout Europe.
====Diplomatic incidents==== In October 2015, the Slovenian government accused Croatian police of helping migrants bypass Slovene border controls and released a night time thermovision video allegedly documenting the event.<ref>{{cite web|title = Slovenian police helicopter films Croatian police officers directing migrants to Slovenia across the green border and the Sotla river|url = http://www.policija.si/eng/index.php/component/content/article/13-news/1739-slovenian-police-helicopter-films-croatian-police-officers-directing-migrants-to-slovenia-across-the-green-border-and-the-sotla-river|website = policija.si|access-date = 24 October 2015|archive-date = 17 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033057/http://www.policija.si/eng/index.php/component/content/article/13-news/1739-slovenian-police-helicopter-films-croatian-police-officers-directing-migrants-to-slovenia-across-the-green-border-and-the-sotla-river|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Šefic: Croatian travesty on inhuman Slovenians :: Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija|url = https://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/sefic-croatian-travesty-on-inhuman-slovenians/376964|website = rtvslo.si|access-date = 24 October 2015|archive-date = 24 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151024062445/http://www.rtvslo.si/news-in-english/sefic-croatian-travesty-on-inhuman-slovenians/376964|url-status = live}}</ref>
=== Housing conditions === After inspecting a refugee camp in [[Traiskirchen]], Austria, in August 2015, [[Amnesty International]] noted inhabitants were receiving insufficient medical care and claimed Austria was "violating human rights".<ref>{{cite web |title=Traiskirchen Symptom systematischer Mängel im Umgang mit Asylwerbern |url=https://www.amnesty.at/de/traiskirchen-pa2/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814130015/https://www.amnesty.at/de/traiskirchen-pa2/ |archive-date=14 August 2015 |access-date=28 August 2015 |publisher=Amnesty International Österreich |language=de }}</ref>
In late November, Finnish reception centers were running out of space, which forced authorities to resort to refurbished [[Intermodal container|shipping containers]] and tents to house new asylum seekers.<ref name="yle3">{{cite news |date=28 November 2015 |title=Reception centres use containers to house new arrivals |work=[[YLE]] |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/reception_centres_use_containers_to_house_new_arrivals/8486826 |access-date=13 December 2017 |archive-date=5 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405025259/https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/reception_centres_use_containers_to_house_new_arrivals/8486826 |url-status=live }}</ref> Deputy prime minister [[Petteri Orpo]] announced that special repatriation centers would be established to house denied asylum seekers. While he stressed that these camps would not be prisons, he stated that the inhabitants would be under strict surveillance.<ref>{{cite news |date=3 December 2015 |title=Interior Minister: Finland to set up asylum seeker repatriation centres |work=[[YLE]] |url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/interior_minister_finland_to_set_up_asylum_seeker_repatriation_centres/8502217 |access-date=13 December 2017 |archive-date=5 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405025150/https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/interior_minister_finland_to_set_up_asylum_seeker_repatriation_centres/8502217 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Many migrants tried to enter the [[United Kingdom]], resulting in camps of [[migrants around Calais]] where one of the [[Eurotunnel]] entrances is located. In the summer of 2015, at least nine people died in attempts to reach Britain, including falling from trains, being hit by trains, or drowning in a canal at the Eurotunnel entrance.<ref>{{cite news |author=Naina Bajekal/Calais |date=1 August 2015 |title=Why Thousands of Migrants Are Risking Their Lives at Calais |magazine=Time |url=https://time.com/3980758/calais-migrant-eurotunnel-deaths/ |access-date=28 August 2015 |archive-date=20 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820122228/http://time.com/3980758/calais-migrant-eurotunnel-deaths/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In response, a UK-financed fence was built along the A-216 highway in [[Calais]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Will new mile-long Calais fence stop migrants? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33833536 |access-date=22 January 2016 |archive-date=28 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328235655/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33833536 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Lizzie Dearden |date=16 December 2015 |title=Refugee crisis: Hundreds of migrants storm Calais motorway attempting to board lorries heading to the UK |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-hundreds-of-migrants-storm-calais-motorway-attempting-to-board-lorries-heading-to-the-a6775346.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-hundreds-of-migrants-storm-calais-motorway-attempting-to-board-lorries-heading-to-the-a6775346.html |archive-date=1 May 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> At the camp near Calais, known as the ''[[Calais Jungle|Jungle]]'', riots broke out when authorities began demolishing the illegally constructed campsite on 29 January 2015.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chrisafis |first1=Angelique |last2=Walker |first2=Peter |last3=Quinn |first3=Ben |date=1 March 2016 |title=Calais 'Jungle' camp: clashes as authorities demolish homes |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/29/french-authorities-begin-clearance-of-part-of-calais-jungle-camp |access-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307205334/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/29/french-authorities-begin-clearance-of-part-of-calais-jungle-camp |archive-date=7 March 2016}}</ref> Amid the protests, which included hunger strikes, thousands of refugees living in the camp were relocated to France's "first international-standard refugee camp" at the [[La Liniere refugee camp]] in [[Grande-Synthe]] which replaced the previous [[Basroch refugee camp]].<ref>{{cite news |date=7 March 2016 |title=Nach Räumung des "Dschungels": Frankreich eröffnet neues Flüchtlingslager am Ärmelkanal |language=de |newspaper=Spiegel Online |url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/grande-synthe-frankreich-eroeffnet-fluechtlingslager-am-aermelkanal-a-1081052.html |access-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307210038/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/grande-synthe-frankreich-eroeffnet-fluechtlingslager-am-aermelkanal-a-1081052.html |archive-date=7 March 2016}}</ref>
Germany has a quota system to distribute asylum seekers among [[States of Germany|all German states]], but in September 2015 the federal states, responsible for accommodation, criticised the government in [[Berlin]] for not providing enough help to them.
In Germany, which took in by far the highest number of refugees, the federal government distributes refugees among the 16 [[States of Germany|states]] proportionally to their tax revenue and population;<ref>{{cite news |author1=Katrin Bennhold |author2=Melissa Eddy |date=6 September 2015 |title=German Quota System Highlights Possible Path and Pitfalls for Handling Crisis |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/world/german-quota-system-highlights-possible-path-and-pitfalls-for-handling-crisis.html |access-date=6 September 2015 |archive-date=9 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909164214/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/world/german-quota-system-highlights-possible-path-and-pitfalls-for-handling-crisis.html |url-status=live }}</ref> the states themselves are required to come up with housing solutions. In 2015, this arrangement came under strain as many states ran out of dedicated accommodation for incoming refugees.<ref>{{cite news |author=Melanie Amann, Matthias Gebauer und Horand Knaup |date=11 September 2015 |title=Länderinnenminister: "Sie öffnen die Grenzen und lassen uns im Stich" |newspaper=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/innenminister-warnen-vor-noch-mehr-fluechtlingen-a-1052575.html |access-date=11 September 2015 |archive-date=13 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913015043/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/innenminister-warnen-vor-noch-mehr-fluechtlingen-a-1052575.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Many resorted to temporarily housing refugees in tents or repurposed empty buildings. The small village of [[Sumte]] (population 102), which contained a large unused warehouse, famously took in 750 refugees.<ref>{{cite news |author=Andrew Higgins |date=31 October 2015 |title=German Village of 102 Braces for 750 Asylum Seekers |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/world/europe/german-village-of-102-braces-for-750-asylum-seekers.html |access-date=31 October 2015 |archive-date=31 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031200743/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/world/europe/german-village-of-102-braces-for-750-asylum-seekers.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although media and some locals feared racial strife and a [[Far-right politics|far-right]] political surge, the town remained peaceful and locals largely accepting. By 2020, most of the arrivals had moved on to bigger German cities for work or study; a small number settled in Sumte permanently.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 October 2020 |title=Kleines Dorf: Sumte nahm 750 Flüchtlinge auf – Was ist seitdem passiert? |url=https://www.nordkurier.de/mecklenburg-vorpommern/sumte-nahm-750-fluechtlinge-auf-was-ist-seitdem-passiert-3141225910.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031072229/https://www.nordkurier.de/mecklenburg-vorpommern/sumte-nahm-750-fluechtlinge-auf-was-ist-seitdem-passiert-3141225910.html |archive-date=31 October 2020 |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[Nordkurier]] |language=de}}</ref> In Berlin, authorities housed refugees in temporary accommodations at the site of the decommissioned [[Berlin Tempelhof Airport|Tempelhof Airport]], then developed a program of [[Shipping container architecture|container housing]] known as Tempohomes, followed by [[Modular building|Modular]] Accommodations for Refugees (Modulare Unterkünfte für Flüchtlinge); many of the Tempohomes and MUF are still in use as of 2022, and some have begun housing [[2022–present Ukrainian refugee crisis|Ukrainian refugees]] as well.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Anagnost |first=Adrian |date=2023 |editor-last= |editor-first= |editor2-last= |editor2-first= |title=Antisocial Housing: Migration and Temporary Architectures in Berlin |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/886976 |journal=ASAP/Journal |series=Dossier on Precarity and Public Housing, ed. Emily J. Hogg and Brian Yazell |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=32–39 |doi=10.1353/asa.2023.0011 |issn=2381-4721 |s2cid=258186480 |access-date=15 June 2023 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425130309/https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/886976 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== EU-Turkey refugee return agreement == [[File:AFAD Kilis kampı.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Syrian refugees at the [[Kilis Oncupinar Accommodation Facility]] in Turkey]]
Because the vast majority of refugees arriving in Europe in 2015 passed through Turkey, the country's cooperation was seen as central to efforts to stem the flow of people and prevent refugees from attempting to make dangerous sea crossings. There was also a recognition that it would be unfair to expect Turkey to shoulder the financial and logistical burden of hosting and integrating millions of refugees on its own. In 2015, the [[European Commission]] began negotiating an agreement with Turkey to close its borders to Greece in exchange for money and diplomatic favours. In March 2016, after months of tense negotiations<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rankin|first1=Jennifer|date=7 March 2016|title=Resettling Syrians, aid and visa changes on table at EU-Turkey migration summit|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/07/eu-offers-another-3bn-to-turkey-at-emergency-migration-summit|access-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307210858/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/07/eu-offers-another-3bn-to-turkey-at-emergency-migration-summit|archive-date=7 March 2016}}</ref> during which Turkish president [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] repeatedly threatened to open Turkey's borders and "flood" Europe with migrants to extract concessions,<ref>{{cite news|author=Agence France-Presse|date=12 February 2016|title=Turkish president threatens to send millions of Syrian refugees to EU|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/12/turkish-president-threatens-to-send-millions-of-syrian-refugees-to-eu|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=26 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426191536/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/12/turkish-president-threatens-to-send-millions-of-syrian-refugees-to-eu|url-status=live}}</ref> a deal was announced. Turkey agreed to significantly increase border security at its shores and take back all future irregular entrants into Greece (and thereby the EU) from Turkey. In return, the EU would pay Turkey 6 billion euros (around US$7 billion).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fruscione|first=Giorgio|date=11 May 2018|title=What of the Refugees? The Closure of the Balkan Route, Two Years On|url=https://www.ispionline.it/en/pubblicazione/what-refugees-closure-balkan-route-two-years-20511|url-status=live|access-date=2 August 2021|website=Italian Institute for International Political Studies|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608221923/https://www.ispionline.it/en/pubblicazione/what-refugees-closure-balkan-route-two-years-20511 |archive-date=8 June 2019 }}</ref> In addition, for every Syrian sent back from Greece, the EU would accept one registered Syrian refugee living in Turkey who had never tried to enter the EU illegally, up to a total of 72,000. If the process succeeded in dramatically reducing irregular immigration to a maximum of 6,000 people per month, the EU would set up a resettlement scheme by which it would regularly resettle Syrian refugees registered in Turkey and upon vetting and recommendation by the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR). The EU also promised to institute visa-free travel to the [[Schengen Area|Schengen area]] and to breathe new life into [[Accession of Turkey to the European Union|Turkey's EU accession talks]].<ref name="a">{{Cite web|url=http://www.psca.eu/uploads/MleCMS/Issue%20VII_complete.pdf|title=The EU's response to the so-called refugee "crisis"|access-date=9 December 2016|archive-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212134306/http://www.psca.eu/uploads/MleCMS/Issue%20VII_complete.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
The deal came into force on 20 March 2016.<ref name="bbc.com">{{cite news|date=20 March 2016|title=Migrant crisis: EU-Turkey deal comes into effect|newspaper=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35854413|access-date=21 March 2016|archive-date=8 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208124116/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35854413|url-status=live}}</ref> On 4 April, the first group of 200 people had been deported from Greece to Turkey under the provisions of the deal. Turkey planned to deport most of them to their home countries.<ref name="BBC April 8">{{Cite news|date=8 April 2016|title=Migrant crisis: Deportations resume from Greece to Turkey|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35993767|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=13 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513170804/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35993767|url-status=live}}</ref> The agreement resulted in a steep decline of migrant arrivals in Greece; in April, Greece recorded only 2,700 irregular border crossings, a 90 per cent decrease compared to the previous month.<ref name="FrontexApril2016">{{cite news|date=13 May 2016|title=Number of migrants arriving in Greece dropped 90 per cent in April|work=Frontex|url=http://frontex.europa.eu/news/number-of-migrants-arriving-in-greece-dropped-90-in-april-6e7oBw|access-date=17 May 2016|archive-date=15 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215020706/http://frontex.europa.eu/news/number-of-migrants-arriving-in-greece-dropped-90-in-april-6e7oBw|url-status=dead}}</ref> This was also the first time since June 2015 that more migrants arrived in Italy than in Greece.<ref name="FrontexApril2016" />
The plan to send migrants back to Turkey was criticized by human right organisations and the [[United Nations]], which warned that it could be illegal to send the migrants back to Turkey in exchange for financial and political rewards.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Stephanie Nebehay|author2=Gabriela Baczynska|date=8 March 2016|title=U.N., rights groups say EU-Turkey migrant deal may be illegal|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-idUSKCN0WA1D4|access-date=8 March 2016|work=Reuters|archive-date=8 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308123508/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-idUSKCN0WA1D4|url-status=live}}</ref> The UNHCR said it was not a party to the EU-Turkey deal and would not be involved in returns or detentions.<ref>{{cite news|date=22 March 2016|title=UNHCR redefines role in Greece as EU-Turkey deal comes into effect|work=UNHCR|url=http://www.unhcr.org/56f10d049.html|access-date=26 March 2016|archive-date=9 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509054613/https://www.unhcr.org/56f10d049.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Like the UNHCR, four aid agencies ([[Médecins Sans Frontières]], the [[International Rescue Committee]], the [[Norwegian Refugee Council]] and [[Save the Children]]) said they would not help to implement the EU-Turkey deal because blanket expulsion of refugees contravened international law.<ref>{{cite news|date=23 March 2016|title=Refugee crisis: key aid agencies refuse any role in 'mass expulsion'|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/23/refugee-crisis-aid-agencies-unhcr-refuse-role-mass-expulsion-greece-turkey|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=27 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827123852/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/23/refugee-crisis-aid-agencies-unhcr-refuse-role-mass-expulsion-greece-turkey|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] called the agreement "madness", and said 18 March 2016 was "a dark day for Refugee Convention, Europe and humanity". Turkish prime minister [[Ahmet Davutoglu]] said that Turkey and EU had the same challenges, the same future, and the same destiny. [[President of the European Council]] [[Donald Tusk]] said that the migrants in Greece would not be sent back to dangerous areas.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/12197969/Refugee-crisis-Turkey-and-EU-agree-deal-to-send-migrants-back-to-Turkey-from-Greece.html Migrants given 24-hour deadline to reach Europe after Turkey and EU agree 'historic' deal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614084048/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/12197969/Refugee-crisis-Turkey-and-EU-agree-deal-to-send-migrants-back-to-Turkey-from-Greece.html |date=14 June 2018 }} M. Holehouse, R. Akkoc and N. Squires, The Daily Telegraph, 18 March 2016</ref>
Turkey's EU accession talks began in July 2016 and the first $3.3 billion was transferred to Turkey.<ref name="bbc.com" /> The talks were suspended in November 2016 after the Turkey's [[2016–present purges in Turkey|antidemocratic response]] to the [[2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt|2016 Turkish coup attempt]].<ref>{{cite news|date=21 February 2019|title=Turkey condemns European parliament committee call to suspend...|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-eu-idUSKCN1QA0MJ|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-date=11 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211195612/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-eu-idUSKCN1QA0MJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Erdoğan again threatened to flood Europe with migrants after the [[European Parliament]] voted to suspend EU membership talks in November 2016: "if you go any further, these border gates will be opened. Neither me nor my people will be affected by these dry threats."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Adamson|first1=Fiona B|last2=Tsourapas|first2=Gerasimos|date=1 May 2019|title=Migration Diplomacy in World Politics|url=http://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/57727314/Adamson_Tsourapas_2018_Migration_diplomacy_in_world_politics_International_Studies_Perspectives.pdf|journal=International Studies Perspectives|volume=20|issue=2|pages=113–128|doi=10.1093/isp/eky015|issn=1528-3577|doi-access=free|access-date=21 October 2019|archive-date=21 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021120643/http://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/57727314/Adamson_Tsourapas_2018_Migration_diplomacy_in_world_politics_International_Studies_Perspectives.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=25 November 2016|title=Turkey warns Europe it will open the floodgates to more migrants|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/president-erdogan-turkey-eu-membership-migrants-refugees-europe-warning-a7438316.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/president-erdogan-turkey-eu-membership-migrants-refugees-europe-warning-a7438316.html |archive-date=1 May 2022 |url-access=subscription|access-date=9 June 2019|website=The Independent}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Over the next few years, Turkish officials continued to threaten the EU with reneging on the deal and engineering a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis in response to criticism of the Erdoğan government.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Turkey Threatens To Send Europe 15,000 Refugees A Month|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-threatens-to-send-europe-15000-refugees-a-month/28375772.html|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|access-date=24 July 2019|archive-date=24 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724021258/https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-threatens-to-send-europe-15000-refugees-a-month/28375772.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=10 October 2019|title=Turkey's Erdogan threatens to send 'millions' of refugees to Europe if EU calls Syria offensive 'invasion'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/10/turkeys-erdogan-threatens-send-millions-refugees-europe-eu-calls/|website=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=28 November 2019|archive-date=8 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208154832/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/10/10/turkeys-erdogan-threatens-send-millions-refugees-europe-eu-calls/|url-status=live}}</ref> In one incident in March 2020, the Turkish government bused large numbers of Syrians living in Turkey to the Greek border and encouraged them to cross. Greece repelled the arrivals with border guards.<ref>{{cite news|author=Aris Roussinos|date=3 April 2020|title=What the Hell Is Happening With Migrants in Greece?|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-the-hell-is-happening-with-migrants-in-greece/|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809203738/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3a8mny/what-the-hell-is-happening-with-migrants-in-greece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=29 February 2020|title=News Over 13,000 migrants gather on Turkey-Greece border|work=Deutsche Welle|url=https://www.dw.com/en/over-13000-migrants-gather-on-turkey-greece-border/a-52593052|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819050733/https://www.dw.com/en/over-13000-migrants-gather-on-turkey-greece-border/a-52593052|url-status=live}}</ref>
One effect of the closure of the "Balkan route" was to drive refugees to other routes, especially across the central and eastern Mediterranean. As a result, migrant deaths due to [[List of migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea|shipwrecks]] began increasing again. On 16 April, a large boat sank between Libya and Italy, with as many as 500 deaths.<ref>{{cite news|date=20 April 2016|title=Massive loss of life reported in latest Mediterranean tragedy|publisher=UNHCR|url=http://www.unhcr.org/57178bcf6.html|access-date=1 May 2016|archive-date=22 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422122958/http://www.unhcr.org/57178bcf6.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, countries that had seen comparatively few refugee arrivals began recording significant numbers. In 2017, for instance, there was a 60% significant jump in the number of migrants reaching [[Spain]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=EU's migrant nightmare: Arrivals in Spain rocket as smugglers slash crossing price to £800|work=Daily Express|url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/826766/Migrant-crisis-EU-new-challenge-arrivals-Spain|access-date=4 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107021936/http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/826766/Migrant-crisis-EU-new-challenge-arrivals-Spain|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly, [[Cyprus]] recorded an approximately 8-fold increase in the number of arrivals between 2016 and 2017.<ref name=":7">{{cite web|date=October 2017|title=Migration Flows to Europe – Quarterly Overview|url=http://migration.iom.int/docs/Q3_Overview_Arrivals_to_Europe.pdf|access-date=4 November 2017|publisher=International Organisation of Migration|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107003816/http://migration.iom.int/docs/Q3_Overview_Arrivals_to_Europe.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{cite web|title=Asylum Quarterly Report – explained|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/13562.pdf|access-date=4 November 2017|website=EC Europa|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107032043/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/pdfscache/13562.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
In response to the increased numbers of people reaching Italian shores, Italy signed an agreement in early 2017 with the [[United Nations|UN]]-recognized [[Government of National Accord|government]] of [[Libya]], from where most migrants started their boat journeys to Italy. In return for Libya making more efforts to prevent migrants from reaching Europe, Italy provided money and training for the Libyan coast guard and for migrant detention centres in northern Libya. In August of that year, the Libyan Coast Guard began requiring NGO rescue vessels to stay at least 360 km (225 mi) from the Libyan coast unless they were given express permission to enter.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news|title=ONG en Méditerranée: la Libye affirme sa souveraineté sur ses eaux territoriales|language=fr-FR|work=RFI Afrique|url=http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20170811-migrations-mediterranee-bras-force-libye-ong-eaux-territoriales|access-date=13 August 2017|archive-date=12 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812235442/http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20170811-migrations-mediterranee-bras-force-libye-ong-eaux-territoriales|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, NGOs [[Médecins Sans Frontières|MSF]], [[Save the Children]] and [[Sea-Eye|Sea Eye]] suspended their operations after clashes with the Libyan Coast Guard after the latter asserted its sovereignty of its waters by firing [[warning shot]]s.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Gavin|date=17 August 2017|title=More NGOs follow MSF in suspending Mediterranean migrant rescues|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-ngo-idUSKCN1AT0IZ|access-date=16 August 2017|archive-date=15 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815222608/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-ngo-idUSKCN1AT0IZ?|url-status=live}}</ref> Soon afterwards, refugee arrivals in Italy dropped significantly. At the same time, the lack of rescue vessels made the crossing much more dangerous; by September 2018, one in five migrants attempting to cross the [[Mediterranean Sea]] from [[Libya]] either drowned or disappeared.<ref>{{cite web|title=Libya – The Irish Times|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=Libya|website=irishtimes.com|date=8 July 2023|access-date=7 October 2018|archive-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007145449/https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_location=Libya|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, the deal was renewed for a further three years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gostoli|first=Ylenia|title=Anti-migration deal between Italy and Libya renewed|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/2/anti-migration-deal-between-italy-and-libya-renewed|access-date=2 August 2021|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en|archive-date=2 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802122229/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/2/anti-migration-deal-between-italy-and-libya-renewed|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Bar chart | title = Asylum applications by country<ref>{{Citation|title=First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age and sex – annual aggregated data|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_asydcfsta/default/table?lang=en|publication-date=3 June 2021|publisher=[[Eurostat]]|access-date=10 July 2021|archive-date=10 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710045748/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_asydcfsta/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> | label_type = Country | data_type = Total processed asylum applications in 2015–17{{efn|Although the majority of refugees arrived in Europe in 2015,<ref>{{Citation|title=Migrant crisis: Illegal entries to EU at lowest level in five years|work=BBC News|date=4 January 2019|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46764500|publication-date=4 January 2019|access-date=10 July 2021|archive-date=12 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712021723/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46764500|url-status=live}}</ref> many did not file asylum claims until 2016 or 2017.}} | float = right | caption = | table_width = 25 | label1 = [[Germany]] | data1 = 1,404,550 | label2 = [[France]] | data2 = 276,340 | label3 = [[Italy]] | data3 = 239,455 | label4 = [[Sweden]] | data4 = 205,405 | label5 = [[Austria]] | data5 = 108,670 | label6 = [[United Kingdom]] | data6 = 96,825 | label7 = [[Belgium]] | data7 = 68,425 | label8 = [[Netherlands]] | data8 = 65,285 | label9 = [[Switzerland]] | data9 = 60,645 | label10 = [[Greece]] | data10 = 45,605 | label11 = [[Norway]] | data11 = 35,485 | label12 = [[Finland]] | data12 = 30,890 | label13 = [[Denmark]] | data13 = 29,585 | label14 = [[Spain]] | data14 = 25,545 | label15 = [[Bulgaria]] | data15 = 13,960 | label16 = [[Hungary]] | data16 = 12,615 | label17 = [[Poland]] | data17 = 8,590 | label18 = [[Cyprus]] | data18 = 6,490 | label19 = [[Romania]] | data19 = 4,680 | label20 = [[Malta]] | data20 = 4,035 | label21 = [[Ireland]] | data21 = 4,015 | label22 = [[Czech Republic]] | data22 = 3,825 | label23 = [[Luxembourg]] | data23 = 3,745 | label24 = [[Portugal]] | data24 = 1,915 | label26 = [[Croatia]] | data26 = 945 | label27 = [[Lithuania]] | data27 = 830 | label28 = [[Latvia]] | data28 = 790 | label29 = [[Slovenia]] | data29 = 635 | label30 = [[Estonia]] | data30 = 525 | label31 = [[Slovakia]] | data31 = 470 }} [[File:Arbeitsbesuch Mazedonien (20270358044).jpg|thumb|Migrants at the Greece–North Macedonia border near [[Gevgelija]], 24 August 2015]] [[File:P31 L.É. Eithne Operations 28 June 2015.jpg|thumb|Rescued male migrants are brought to southern Italian ports, 28 June 2015]]
[[File:Syrian refugees strike in front of Budapest Keleti railway station. Refugee crisis. Budapest, Hungary, Central Europe, 3 September 2015.jpg|thumb|Migrants in a [[hunger strike]] in front of the [[Budapest Keleti railway station]], 3 September 2015]] [[File:Boat People at Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea.jpg|thumb|left|Migrants arrived in [[Lampedusa]] ]] [[File:Messina1.jpg|thumb|[[Eritrea]]n migrants in [[Messina]], October 2015]] [[File:Slovenska vojska pri reševanju migrantske situacije z več zmogljivostmi 01.jpg|alt=large group of migrants moving along a road, being directed by the army and police|left|thumb|Arrival of migrants in Dobova, Slovenia]]
==EU response== {{main|European Union response to the 2015 migrant crisis}} The response at the EU level was relatively uncoordinated, as some member states unilaterally closed their borders and others, like Germany and Sweden, maintained a relatively welcoming stance. The sudden border closures often resulted in chaos, trapping large numbers of people in countries where they had no desire to stay.
The [[European Commission]] made some attempts to [[Harmonisation of law|harmonize]] the different policies, such as the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). In addition, the [[European Border and Coast Guard Agency]] focused on strengthening European border integrity in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Several policies, such as an "Emergency Trust Fund," were also developed to address problems in the home countries of asylum seekers.
== Role of non-governmental organizations == [[Non-governmental organization]]s often filled the vacuum official operations were insufficient.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cusumano |first1=Eugenio |last2=Pattison |first2=James |date=2 January 2018 |title=The non-governmental provision of search and rescue in the Mediterranean and the abdication of state responsibility |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09557571.2018.1477118 |journal=Cambridge Review of International Affairs |language=en |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=53–75 |doi=10.1080/09557571.2018.1477118 |issn=0955-7571 |hdl=1887/74076 |hdl-access=free |access-date=6 January 2024 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228142918/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09557571.2018.1477118 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the end of Italy's Mare Nostrum operation in 2014, NGOs began performing search and rescue operations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2014 |title=Italy: Ending Mare Nostrum search and rescue operation would 'put lives at risk' |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/10/italy-ending-mare-nostrum-search-and-rescue-operation-would-put-lives-risk/ |access-date=6 January 2024 |website=Amnesty International |language=en |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104142308/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/10/italy-ending-mare-nostrum-search-and-rescue-operation-would-put-lives-risk/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some Italian authorities feared that they encouraged people to use the dangerous passage facilitated by human traffickers.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=12 August 2017 |title=MSF suspends Mediterranean rescues as migrant dispute mounts |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-msf-idUSKBN1AS0L1 |access-date=13 August 2017 |archive-date=12 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812191112/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-msf-idUSKBN1AS0L1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Cusumano |first1=Eugenio |last2=Villa |first2=Matteo |date=2021 |title=From "Angels" to "Vice Smugglers": the Criminalization of Sea Rescue NGOs in Italy |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10610-020-09464-1 |journal=European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research |language=en |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=23–40 |doi=10.1007/s10610-020-09464-1 |issn=0928-1371 |hdl=1814/68576 |hdl-access=free |access-date=6 January 2024 |archive-date=24 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224122501/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10610-020-09464-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2017, Italy drew up a code of conduct for NGO rescue vessels delivering migrants to Italian ports.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Balmer |first=Crispian |date=13 July 2017 |title=Italy drafts contested code of conduct for NGO migrant boats |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN19X2TT/ |access-date=6 January 2024 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> These rules prohibited coordinating with human traffickers via flares or radio and required vessels to permit police presence on board. More controversially, they also forbade entering the [[territorial waters]] of Libya and transferring rescued people onto other vessels, which severely limited the number of people NGOs could save.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Balmer |first=Crispian |date=12 July 2017 |title=Italy drafts contested code of conduct for NGO migrant boats |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-ngos-idUSKBN19X2U1 |access-date=17 July 2021 |archive-date=17 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210717132124/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-ngos-idUSKBN19X2U1 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Human Rights Watch]] and [[Amnesty International]] criticised the code of conduct and some NGOs, including [[Médecins Sans Frontières|Doctors Without Borders]], eventually suspended rescue operations.<ref name=":5" /> In the years following its implementation, Mediterranean Sea crossings dropped considerably, although the degree to which this was caused by the NGO code is disputed. A study conducted from 2014 to 2019 concluded that external factors like weather and the political stability of Libya contributed more to the ebbs and flows of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Trilling |first=Daniel |date=22 September 2020 |title=How rescuing drowning migrants became a crime |url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/sep/22/how-rescuing-drowning-migrants-became-a-crime-iuventa-salvini-italy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922054615/https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/sep/22/how-rescuing-drowning-migrants-became-a-crime-iuventa-salvini-italy |archive-date=22 September 2020 |access-date=18 July 2021 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> Non-governmental search and rescue operations cannot entirely stop the loss of life at sea in the wake of large-scale migratory flows.<ref name=":0" />
In September 2016, Greek volunteers of the "[[Hellenic Rescue Team]]" and human rights activist Efi Latsoudi were awarded the [[Nansen Refugee Award]] by the UNHCR "for their tireless volunteer work" in helping refugees arrive in Greece during the 2015 refugee crisis.<ref>{{cite web |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |title=Greek Volunteers share UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award |url=http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2016/9/57cdec884/greek-volunteers-share-unhcr-nansen-refugee-award.html |access-date=6 September 2016 |archive-date=25 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625070819/http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2016/9/57cdec884/greek-volunteers-share-unhcr-nansen-refugee-award.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Public opinion== A 2016 study by [[Pew Research Center]] suggested widespread anxiety over the refugee crisis and immigration in general, particularly about effects on the labour market, crime, and difficulty [[Social integration|integrating]] the newcomers. The study also revealed insecurities about weakening [[National identity|national identities]] when taking in people from other cultures.<ref name="2016Opinion">{{cite report|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/07/Pew-Research-Center-EU-Refugees-and-National-Identity-Report-FINAL-July-11-2016.pdf|title=Europeans Fear Wave of Refugees Will Mean More Terrorism, Fewer Jobs|last1=Wike|first1=Richard|publisher=Pew Research Center|website=Pew Research Center:Global Attitudes & Trends|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=13 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213231326/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/07/Pew-Research-Center-EU-Refugees-and-National-Identity-Report-FINAL-July-11-2016.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
Many Europeans also harbored more specific anxieties around [[Islam in Europe|Muslim immigration]] with a fear that [[Islam]] is incompatible with European values.<ref name=":11">{{cite book|last1=Bowen|first1=John|title=European states and their Muslim citizens : the impact of institutions on perceptions and boundaries|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1-107-03864-6}}</ref> Some national leaders, notably in Slovakia and Hungary, exploited and at times encouraged this fear for electoral gain.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Brljavac|first1=Bedrudin|date=2017|title=Refugee Crisis in Europe: The Case Studies of Sweden and Slovakia|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=553205|journal=Journal of Liberty and International Affairs|volume=III|issue=Suppl|pages=91–107|issn=1857-9760|access-date=13 June 2020|archive-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613213631/https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=553205|url-status=live}}</ref> A study of ten European countries by [[Royal Institute of International Affairs]] found that an average of 55% would support stopping further immigration from Muslims, with support ranging from 40% (Spain) to 70% (Poland).<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Goodwin|first1=Matthew|last2=Raines|first2=Thomas|last3=Cutts|first3=David|date=7 February 2017|title=What Do Europeans Think About Muslim Immigration?|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/2017/02/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration|url-status=live|access-date=10 August 2021|website=Chatham House|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015022607/https://www.chathamhouse.org/2017/02/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration |archive-date=15 October 2020 }}</ref> A study by the [[European Social Survey]] using more nuanced wording found that 25% were opposed to all Muslim immigration; a further 30% supported permitting only "some" Muslim immigration.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Heath|first1=Anthony|last2=Richards|first2=Lindsay|date=2016|title=Attitudes towards Immigration and their Antecedents: Topline Results from Round 7 of the European Social Survey|url=https://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/docs/findings/ESS7_toplines_issue_7_immigration.pdf|url-status=live|website=[[European Social Survey]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329023540/http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org:80/docs/findings/ESS7_toplines_issue_7_immigration.pdf |archive-date=29 March 2017 }}</ref>
The public perception of the migrant crisis from the Hungarian point of view has been characterized as anti-immigration since 2015. Muslim immigrants are perceived as a symbolic threat to the dominant—mostly Christian—Western culture, and (specifically in the Hungarian context) asylum seekers with a Christian background are more welcomed than those with a Muslim background.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Simonovits|first1=Bori|title=Geographies of Asylum in Europe and the Role of European Localities |chapter=The Public Perception of the Migration Crisis from the Hungarian Point of View: Evidence from the Field |date=2020|series=IMISCOE Research Series|publisher=Springer International Publishing|pages=155–176|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-25666-1_8|isbn=978-3-030-25665-4|doi-access=free}}</ref>
A study released by the [[European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights]] found that almost 40% of first- and second-[[Immigrant generations|generation]] Muslims in Europe surveyed reported discrimination in their daily life.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bleiker|first1=Carla|date=21 September 2017|title=Muslims in the EU: Feeling at home despite discrimination|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|url=https://www.dw.com/en/muslims-in-the-eu-feeling-at-home-despite-discrimination/a-40630952|access-date=3 June 2020|archive-date=3 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603130312/https://www.dw.com/en/muslims-in-the-eu-feeling-at-home-despite-discrimination/a-40630952|url-status=live}}</ref>
British Somali poet [[Warsan Shire]]'s poem 'Home' became a prominent depiction of the refugee experience. A video of [[Benedict Cumberbatch]] reciting the poem after a stage performance as part of an impassioned plea to help refugees went [[Viral video|viral]] in September 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Benedict Cumberbatch's heartfelt speech for Syrian refugees|url=https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/celebrities/benedict-cumberbatchs-heartfelt-speech-for-syrian-refugees|url-status=live|access-date=10 August 2021|website=Reader's Digest UK|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805052533/https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/celebrities/benedict-cumberbatchs-heartfelt-speech-for-syrian-refugees |archive-date=5 August 2020 }}</ref>
=== Death of Alan Kurdi === {{Main|Death of Alan Kurdi}} A photo of the body of a 2-year-old Syrian boy named Alan Kurdi (after he drowned on 2 September 2015) became a symbol of the suffering of refugees trying to reach Europe.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Brian |title=Alan Kurdi's Story: Behind The Most Heartbreaking Photo of 2015 |url=https://time.com/4162306/alan-kurdi-syria-drowned-boy-refugee-crisis/ |access-date=10 November 2021 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=10 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110185231/https://time.com/4162306/alan-kurdi-syria-drowned-boy-refugee-crisis/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Unlike many pictures of refugees often published in European media, in which "asylum-seekers are generally shown in groups of people, often on boats, rather than as single individuals", the picture was of a single, identifiable child victim and engendered a wave of compassion throughout Europe.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sohlberg |first1=Jacob |last2=Esaiasson |first2=Peter |last3=Martinsson |first3=Johan |title=The changing political impact of compassion-evoking pictures: the case of the drowned toddler Alan Kurdi |journal=Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies |date=3 October 2019 |volume=45 |issue=13 |pages=2275–2288 |doi=10.1080/1369183X.2018.1538773|s2cid=150067850 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Multiple EU leaders addressed the photo and called for EU action to address the crisis.<ref>{{cite web|last=Agencies|first=Daily Sabah with|date=3 September 2015|title=French President calls Erdoğan over images of drowned Syrian boy, calls for common EU refugee policy|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2015/09/03/french-president-calls-erdogan-over-images-of-drowned-syrian-boy-calls-for-common-eu-refugee-policy|access-date=5 October 2020|website=Daily Sabah|archive-date=9 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009011906/https://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2015/09/03/french-president-calls-erdogan-over-images-of-drowned-syrian-boy-calls-for-common-eu-refugee-policy|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web|author=Ashley Fantz and Catherine E. Shoichet|title=Drowned Syrian boy's dad: Everything is gone|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/03/europe/migration-crisis-aylan-kurdi-turkey-canada/index.html|access-date=5 October 2020|website=CNN|date=3 September 2015|archive-date=2 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002200426/https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/03/europe/migration-crisis-aylan-kurdi-turkey-canada/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Kurdi and his family were Syrian refugees, and 2-year-old Alan died alongside his brother and mother – only his father survived the journey, telling CNN "everything I was dreaming of is gone. I want to bury my children and sit beside them until I die."<ref name=":10"/> Kurdi's body was photographed by Turkish journalist [[Nilüfer Demir]].
=== Pro and anti-immigration protests === {{image frame|content={{Photomontage | photo1a = Wien - Demo Mensch sein in Österreich - 8.jpg {{!}} "Syrian Refugees Welcome" rally in [[Vienna]], 31 August 2015 | photo1b = 02015-10-02 Der anti-islamische Protest in Polen.JPG {{!}} Anti-immigration rally in [[Poland]] in 2015 | photo2a = Anti-imigration-rally-Prague-Aug2015.jpg {{!}} Anti-immigration rally called "For our culture and safe country" in Prague, [[Czech Republic]], 12 September 2015 | photo2b = Natsit ja ISIS on samaa paskaa.jpg{{!}}A pro-migration demonstration in [[Helsinki]], Finland, showing a sign saying ''Natsit & ISIS = samaa paskaa'', [[Finnish language|Finnish]] for "Nazis & ISIS = the same shit". | photo2c = Tahle Země patří všem REFUGEES WELCOME - 2015 (34).JPG {{!}} Pro-migration rally in [[Prague]], Czech Republic, 17 October 2015 | size = 270 | spacing = 1 | color = #FFFFFF | border = 3 | color_border = gray | text = (pro) 12 September 2015 [[Vienna]]; (anti) 2015 [[Poland]]; (anti) 12 September 2015 Czech Republic; (pro) 6 December 2018 Finland; (pro) 17 October 2015 [[Czech Republic]] | text_background = #FFDEAD }} | width = 278 }}
[[Pegida]], a pan-European far-right political movement founded in 2014 on opposition to immigration from Muslim countries, experienced a resurgence during the refugee crisis, especially in [[New states of Germany|eastern Germany]]. The movement said that "Western civilisation could soon come to an end through Islam conquering Europe".<ref>{{cite news|last1=|first1=|date=23 January 2016|title=Pegida meets with European allies in the Czech Republic|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|url=https://www.dw.com/en/pegida-meets-with-european-allies-in-the-czech-republic/a-19000895|access-date=17 June 2020|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731023953/https://www.dw.com/en/pegida-meets-with-european-allies-in-the-czech-republic/a-19000895|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]], members of the far-right anti-immigration group [[Britain First]] organised protest marches.<ref name="BF-LibertGB">{{cite news |title=Britain First: anti-Islam group that bills itself as a patriotic movement |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/29/britain-first-anti-islam-group-that-bills-itself-as-a-patriotic-movement |work=the Guardian |date=29 November 2017 |access-date=17 June 2020 |archive-date=15 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215143608/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/29/britain-first-anti-islam-group-that-bills-itself-as-a-patriotic-movement |url-status=live }}</ref> An analysis by [[Hope not Hate]], an anti-racist advocacy group, identified 24 different British groups attempting to whip up mistrust of Muslims and provoke a "cultural civil war", including the [[Pegida UK|UK chapter]] of Pegida and the political party [[Liberty GB]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Townsend |first1=Mark |title=Anti-Muslim prejudice "is moving to the mainstream" |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/05/far-right-muslim-cultural-civil-war |work=The Observer |date=5 December 2015 |access-date=17 June 2020 |archive-date=17 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117011429/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/05/far-right-muslim-cultural-civil-war |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[White nationalism|White-nationalist]] [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] predicting a Muslim takeover of Europe gained wider prominence during and after the refugee crisis.<ref>{{Citation|last=Bergmann|first=Eirikur|title=Neo-Nationalism |chapter=The Third Wave: The International Financial Crisis and Refugees |date=2020|pages=131–207|place=Cham|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-41773-4_5|isbn=978-3-030-41772-7|pmc=7245514}}</ref> A theory known as [[Eurabia]], which claims that [[globalism|globalist]] entities led by French and Arab powers are plotting to "islamise" and "arabise" Europe, was propagated widely in far-right circles.<ref name="Guardian190816">{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/16/the-myth-of-eurabia-how-a-far-right-conspiracy-theory-went-mainstream | title = The myth of Eurabia: how a far-right conspiracy theory went mainstream | author = Andrew Brown | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 16 August 2019 | access-date = 24 August 2019 | archive-date = 19 April 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200419165949/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/16/the-myth-of-eurabia-how-a-far-right-conspiracy-theory-went-mainstream | url-status = live }}</ref> Many groups also circulated a similar conspiracy theory called the "[[Great Replacement]]".<ref name=":22">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Thomas Chatterton |title=The French Origins of "You Will Not Replace Us" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/04/the-french-origins-of-you-will-not-replace-us |magazine=The New Yorker |date=27 November 2017 |access-date=24 February 2024 |archive-date=14 August 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190814185144/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/04/the-french-origins-of-you-will-not-replace-us |url-status=live }}</ref>
Other notable anti-immigration protests in the aftermath of 2015, some of which escalated to riots, included:
* 16 December 2015: [[2015 Geldermalsen riot|riot in Geldermalsen]], the Netherlands, at a town hall meeting to discuss a new housing complex for 1,500 asylum seekers.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Migrant crisis: Dutch town riots over asylum centre plan|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35118496|work=BBC News|date=17 December 2015|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=10 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010120915/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35118496|url-status=live}}</ref> * 25 December 2015: [[2015 Corsican protests|protests by Corsican nationalists]], officially in support of Corsican autonomy, but which saw a mob ransack a Muslim prayer hall in [[Ajaccio]] and people burn [[Quran]]s. The rioters had assumed that a recent crime in the town had been carried out by immigrants.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McHugh |first1=Jess |title=After Anti-Muslim Protest In Corsica, Nationalism, High Unemployment, Slow Economic Growth Blamed |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/after-anti-muslim-protest-corsica-nationalism-high-unemployment-slow-economic-growth-2240947 |work=International Business Times |date=28 December 2015 |access-date=24 February 2024 |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010120801/https://www.ibtimes.com/after-anti-muslim-protest-corsica-nationalism-high-unemployment-slow-economic-growth-2240947 |url-status=live }}</ref> * 26 August 2018: [[2018 Chemnitz protests|Protests and subsequent violence in Chemnitz]], Germany<ref name="Chemnitzprotests">{{cite news|last1=Atika|first1=Schubert|last2=Schmidt|first2=Nadine|last3=Vonberg|first3=Judith|date=27 August 2018|title=German government condemns right-wing rioters|work=CNN|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/27/europe/germany-chemnitz-violence-intl/|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=10 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010121102/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/27/europe/germany-chemnitz-violence-intl/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Notable pro-refugee or pro-immigration protests in response to the refugee crisis included:
* 15 June 2015: [[Birlikte]], a series of semi-annual rallies and corresponding [[cultural festival]]s against right-wing extremist violence in Germany<ref>{{cite web |date=29 November 2014 |title=Birlikte: Die Highlights im Birlikte-Programm |url=http://www.koeln.de/koeln/birlikte_836979.html?page=0,1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129023858/http://www.koeln.de/koeln/birlikte_836979.html?page=0,1 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |access-date=29 November 2014 |website=koeln.de |publisher=[[NetCologne Gesellschaft für Telekommunikation mbH]], Abteilung Content |language=de}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20170909030323/http://birlikte.info/Programm_Birlikte_2016.pdf]</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Veranstalter sagen Festival Birlikte komplett ab |language=de |author-first1=Jan H. |author-last1=Stellmacher |author-first2=Martin |author-last2=Böhmer |date=5 June 2016 |newspaper=[[Express (Cologne newspaper)|Express]] |url=http://www.express.de/koeln/wegen-unwetterwarnung-veranstalter-sagen-festival-birlikte-komplett-ab-24173842 |access-date=13 May 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627215538/https://www.express.de/koeln/wegen-unwetterwarnung-veranstalter-sagen-festival-birlikte-komplett-ab-24173842 |archive-date=27 June 2016}}</ref> * 12 September 2015: "day of action" in several European cities in support of refugees and migrants, with several 10,000 participants.<ref name="BBCdemons">{{cite news |title=Rallies in Europe as migrants arrive |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34235673 |work=BBC News |date=12 September 2015 |access-date=17 June 2020 |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803173952/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34235673 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the same day, anti-immigration rallies took place in some eastern European countries.<ref name="BBCdemons" /> * 18 February 2017: [[Volem acollir]] ("we want to welcome") protest in [[Barcelona]], 160,000–500,000 participants<ref>{{cite news |agency=Agence France-Presse |title=Protesters in Barcelona urge Spain to take in more refugees |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/18/protesters-in-barcelona-urge-spain-to-take-in-more-refugees |work=The Guardian |date=18 February 2017 |access-date=17 June 2020 |archive-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708113616/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/18/protesters-in-barcelona-urge-spain-to-take-in-more-refugees |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Statistics ==
More than 3,700 migrants died trying, usually by drowning.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-more-than-a-million-people-enter-europe-by-sea-in-2015-as-thousands-continue-to-arrive-every-day-a6790286.html|title=More than a million refugees have entered Europe by sea alone this year|date=30 December 2015|website=The Independent|access-date=31 December 2022|archive-date=31 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231022631/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugee-crisis-more-than-a-million-people-enter-europe-by-sea-in-2015-as-thousands-continue-to-arrive-every-day-a6790286.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Asylum applications=== {{Bar chart | title = EU Asylum applicants by origin<ref>{{Citation|title=Asylum and first time asylum applicants by citizenship, age and sex – annual aggregated data|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/MIGR_ASYAPPCTZA__custom_1142314/default/table?lang=en|year=2021|publisher=[[Eurostat]]|access-date=31 August 2021|archive-date=14 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714025000/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/MIGR_ASYAPPCTZA__custom_1142314/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> |float = right | label_type = Origin | data_type = 2015 | bar_width = 8 | width_units = em | data_max = 362715 | col2_data_type = 2016 | col2_data_max = 362715 |label1 =Syria |data1 =362715 | col2_data1 = 334815 |label2 =Afghanistan |data2 =178290 | col2_data2 = 182975 |label3 =Iraq |data3 =121585 | col2_data3 = 127090 |label4 =Pakistan |data4 =46510 | col2_data4 = 47655 |label5 =Nigeria |data5 =30000 | col2_data5 = 46245 |label6 =Iran |data6 =25400 | col2_data6 = 40210 |label7 =Eritrea |data7 =33110 | col2_data7 = 33370 |label8 =Albania |data8 =66145 | col2_data8 = 29145 |label9 =Russia |data9 =18395 | col2_data9 = 23045 |label10 =Unknown |data10 =21135 | col2_data10 = 20035 |label11 =Rest of the world |data11 =354450 | col2_data11 = 322225 }} {{image frame|content={{Photomontage | photo1a = Map of the European Migrant Crisis 2015 - Asylum applicants' countries of origin.png{{!}}Countries of origin of asylum applicants in the EU and EFTA states between 1 January and 30 June 2015 | photo2a= Hosted and departing refugees 2015.svg{{!}}This map shows the distribution of refugees and asylum seekers at the end of 2015 in the regions of Middle East, Africa and Europe while also showing the top 8 (data in millions) worldwide countries of origin of refugees (note that Turkey is out of scale, hosting 2.7 millions refugees while Palestinian refugees are not included; UNHCR data) | photo3a = Sea arrivals to Greece and Italy in 2015 by nationality.png{{!}}Nationalities of the Mediterranean sea arrivals to Greece and Italy in 2015, according to UNHCR data | photo3b= Carte des routes d'immigration africaine vers l'Europe.svg{{!}}Map of migrants' routes to North Africa and Europe from West Africa | photo3c= Syrian refugees in the Middle East map en.svg{{!}}Syrian refugees hosted in some Middle East countries (Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt); only a small fraction of all Syrian refugees have been resettled anywhere in the world (data as of August 2015) | size = 270 | spacing = 1 | color = #FFFFFF | border = 3 | color_border = gray | text = Countries of origin of asylum applicants (1 January – 30 June 2015), Distribution of refugees and asylum seekers at 2015<ref name="UNHCR persons of concern">{{cite web|url=http://popstats.unhcr.org/en/persons_of_concern|title=UNHCR persons of concern|date=10 November 2016|access-date=10 November 2016|archive-date=16 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116174402/http://popstats.unhcr.org/en/persons_of_concern|url-status=live}}</ref> Nationalities of the Mediterranean sea arrivals in 2015,<ref name="UNHCR2015" /> Map of migrants' routes, Syrian refugees as of August 2015<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/syrias-refugee-crisis-in-numbers/ Syria's refugee crisis in numbers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304221252/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/syrias-refugee-crisis-in-numbers/ |date=4 March 2021 }}, Amnesty International, 4 September 2015</ref> | text_background = #FFDEAD }} | width = 278 }}
Over 75% of asylum seekers arriving in Europe in 2015 were fleeing from [[Syria]], [[Afghanistan]] or [[Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=William|first=Spindler|date=8 December 2015|title=2015: The year of Europe's refugee crisis|url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2015/12/56ec1ebde/2015-year-europes-refugee-crisis.html|access-date=8 July 2021|website=UNHCR|language=en|archive-date=19 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619052326/https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2015/12/56ec1ebde/2015-year-europes-refugee-crisis.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Other significant countries of origin were [[Kosovo]], [[Albania]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Eritrea]].<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|date=4 March 2016|title=Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131030536/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911|url-status=live}}</ref>
Around half of asylum applications were made by young adults between 18 and 34 years of age; 96,000 refugees were [[unaccompanied minor]]s. Around three-quarters of applications were by men.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|last2=|last3=|first3=|date=2 August 2016|title=Record 1.3 Million Sought Asylum in Europe in 2015|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2016/08/02/number-of-refugees-to-europe-surges-to-record-1-3-million-in-2015/|access-date=8 July 2021|website=Pew Research Center|language=en|archive-date=30 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630025902/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2016/08/02/number-of-refugees-to-europe-surges-to-record-1-3-million-in-2015/|url-status=live}}</ref> The gender imbalance among refugees reaching Europe has multiple related causes, most significantly the dangerous and expensive nature of the journey. Men with families often travel to Europe alone with the intent of applying for [[family reunification]] once their asylum request is granted.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jillian Kay|first=Melchior|date=12 October 2015|title=Why So Many of Europe's Migrants Are Men|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/10/why-europes-migrants-are-men/|access-date=8 July 2021|website=[[National Review]]|language=en-US|archive-date=13 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713102259/https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/10/why-europes-migrants-are-men/|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, in many countries, such as Syria, men are at greater risk than women of being forcibly [[Conscription|conscripted]] or killed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rebecca|first=Collard|date=26 July 2018|title=Young Syrian men don't just fear the war, they fear being forced to join it|url=https://theworld.org/stories/2018/07/24/some-syrians-are-risking-military-service-return-their-country|access-date=8 July 2021|website=[[The World (radio program)|The World]]|language=en|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184517/https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-07-25/young-syrian-men-don-t-just-fear-war-they-fear-being-forced-join-it|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Developing countries]] hosted the largest share of refugees (86 per cent by the end of 2014, the highest figure in more than two decades); the [[least developed countries]] alone provided asylum to 25 per cent of refugees worldwide.<ref name="UNHCRtrends" /> Even though most Syrian refugees were hosted by neighbouring countries such as [[Turkey]], [[Lebanon]] and [[Jordan]], the number of asylum applications lodged by Syrian refugees in Europe steadily increased between 2011 and 2015, totaling 813,599 in 37 European countries (including both EU members and non-members) as of November 2015; 57 per cent of them applied for [[asylum in Germany]] or [[Serbia]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Syria Regional Refugee Response|url=http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/asylum.php|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=30 September 2015|archive-date=9 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409125136/http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/asylum.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Acceptance rate of asylum requests=== [[File:Top recipients of asylum applications in the EU-28 (2015).png|left|thumb|upright=1.364|Number of first time asylum applications received by the top ten recipients in the EU-28, January–December 2015. The top ten recipients account for more than 90 per cent of the asylum applications received in the EU-28.<ref name=":21">{{cite web|title=Asylum and first time asylum applicants by citizenship, age and sex Monthly data (rounded)|url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=migr_asyappctzm|publisher=Eurostat|access-date=11 December 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222092830/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=migr_asyappctzm|url-status=live}}</ref>]] 52 per cent of asylum applications in the EU were granted in 2015; another 14 per cent were granted on appeal. The citizenships with the highest recognition rates at first instance were Syria (97.2 per cent), Eritrea (89.8 per cent), Iraq (85.7 per cent), Afghanistan (67 per cent), Iran (64.7 per cent), Somalia (63.1 per cent) and Sudan (56 per cent).<ref>{{cite news|title=EU Member States granted protection to more than 330 000 asylum seekers in 2015|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7233417/3-20042016-AP-EN.pdf/34c4f5af-eb93-4ecd-984c-577a5271c8c5|work=Eurostat|date=20 April 2016|access-date=26 April 2016|archive-date=25 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425045451/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7233417/3-20042016-AP-EN.pdf/34c4f5af-eb93-4ecd-984c-577a5271c8c5|url-status=live}}</ref> Asylum applications by citizens of some countries with high levels of violence, like [[Nigeria]] and [[Pakistan]], nevertheless had low success rates.
==== Economic migrants ==== Some people applying for asylum were perceived to be [[economic migrant]]s using the asylum process to move to Europe to find work, rather than fleeing war or persecution. Economic migrants are not eligible for asylum, although the distinction between economic migrants and refugees is not always clear since some people fleeing war are also fleeing poverty.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gardels|first=Nathan|date=2 December 2018|title=Opinion {{!}} Refugees and migrants have become a blurred challenge|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/12/20/asylum/|access-date=19 August 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=22 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922165608/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/12/20/asylum/|url-status=live}}</ref> It is difficult to say what proportion of the 2015 arrivals to Europe were "economic migrants." Some analysts use refugee recognition rates as a metric,<ref>{{Cite news|date=7 September 2015|title=How many migrants to Europe are refugees?|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2015/09/07/how-many-migrants-to-europe-are-refugees|access-date=19 August 2021|issn=0013-0613|archive-date=19 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819134238/https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2015/09/07/how-many-migrants-to-europe-are-refugees|url-status=live}}</ref> although this is also difficult since these vary widely between EU countries.<ref name=":20">{{Cite journal|last1=Burmann|first1=Martina|last2=Valeyatheepillay|first2=Madhinee|date=June 2017|title=Asylum Recognition Rates in the Top 5 EU Countries|url=https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/dice-report-2017-2-burmann-valeyatheepillay-june.pdf|journal=Ifo DICE Report|volume=15|issue=2|access-date=19 August 2021|archive-date=27 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027015831/https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/dice-report-2017-2-burmann-valeyatheepillay-june.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
People from the [[Western Balkans]] — most of whom were [[Romani people|Romanis]], a marginalized ethnic group<ref name="BalkanExodus">{{cite news|title=Migrant crisis: Explaining the exodus from the Balkans|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34173252|access-date=19 September 2015|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808200231/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34173252|url-status=live}}</ref> — were often perceived to be [[economic migrant]]s.<ref>{{cite news|date=26 August 2015|title=Mass Migration: What Is Driving the Balkan Exodus?|work=Der Spiegel|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/western-balkan-exodus-puts-pressure-on-germany-and-eu-a-1049274.html|access-date=8 September 2015|archive-date=28 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328235523/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/western-balkan-exodus-puts-pressure-on-germany-and-eu-a-1049274.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Parts of [[West Africa]] and [[Pakistan]] also had low recognition rates.<ref name="NossiterNiger">{{cite news|last1=Nossiter|first1=Adam|date=20 August 2015|title=Migrant Smuggling Business Is Booming in Niger, Despite Crackdown|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/world/africa/migrant-smuggling-business-is-booming-in-niger-despite-crackdown.html?ref=world&_r=0|access-date=20 August 2015|archive-date=8 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608122357/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/world/africa/migrant-smuggling-business-is-booming-in-niger-despite-crackdown.html?ref=world&_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|website=Deutsche Welle|title=Economic migrants from Pakistan have little chance in Europe|date=14 December 2016|url=https://www.dw.com/en/economic-migrants-from-pakistan-have-little-chance-in-europe/a-36762108|access-date=1 September 2021|language=en-GB|archive-date=1 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901010853/https://www.dw.com/en/economic-migrants-from-pakistan-have-little-chance-in-europe/a-36762108|url-status=live}}</ref> However, these nationalities made up a relatively small percentage of 2015 arrivals. In 2015, 14% of all first-time asylum requests filed in the EU were by people from the Western Balkans; in 2016 the figure was 5%.<ref name=":21" /> Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis, whose asylum recognition rates ranged between 60% and 100% in Germany (which accepted by far the largest number of refugees in 2015) together filed around half of all asylum requests in both years.<ref name=":20" />
Some argue that migrants have been seeking to settle preferentially in national destinations that offer more generous [[social welfare]] benefits and host more established Middle Eastern and African immigrant communities. Others argue that migrants are attracted to more tolerant societies with stronger economies, and that the chief motivation for leaving Turkey is that they are not permitted to leave camps or work.<ref>{{cite news|author=Rick Lyman|date=12 September 2015|title=Eastern Bloc's Resistance to Refugees Highlights Europe's Cultural and Political Divisions|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/world/europe/eastern-europe-migrant-refugee-crisis.html|access-date=13 September 2015|archive-date=12 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912210603/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/world/europe/eastern-europe-migrant-refugee-crisis.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A large number of refugees in Turkey have been faced with difficult living circumstances;<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Villasana|first1=Danielle|date=October 2016|title=Picturing health: challenges for Syrian refugees in Turkey|journal=The Lancet|volume=388|issue=10056|pages=2096–103|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31647-6|pmid=27642017|s2cid=6487863}}</ref> thus, many refugees arriving in southern Europe continue their journey in attempts to reach northern European countries such as Germany, which are observed as having more prominent outcomes of security.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|title=The sea route to Europe: The Mediterranean passage in the age of refugees|newspaper=UNHCR|url=http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/protection/operations/5592bd059/sea-route-europe-mediterranean-passage-age-refugees.html|access-date=16 November 2016|archive-date=17 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117210940/http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/protection/operations/5592bd059/sea-route-europe-mediterranean-passage-age-refugees.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In contrast to Germany, France's popularity eroded in 2015 among migrants seeking asylum after being historically considered a popular final destination for the EU migrants.<ref>{{cite news|author=Adam Nossiter|date=17 September 2015|title=A Belated Welcome in France Is Drawing Few Migrants|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/world/europe/a-belated-welcome-in-france-is-drawing-few-migrants.html|access-date=17 September 2015|quote=Migrants crowding onto the trains in Hungary shout, "Germany, Germany!" But they do not shout, "France, France."|archive-date=20 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920070039/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/18/world/europe/a-belated-welcome-in-france-is-drawing-few-migrants.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author1=Gregor Aisch|author2=Sarah Almukhtar|author3=Josh Keller|author4=Wilson Andrews|date=10 September 2015|title=The Scale of the Migrant Crisis, From 160 to Millions|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/09/10/world/europe/scale-of-migrant-crisis-in-europe.html|access-date=17 September 2015|archive-date=17 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917041830/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/09/10/world/europe/scale-of-migrant-crisis-in-europe.html|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Migrants in Hungary 2015 Aug 003.jpg|thumb|Migrants along the Western Balkan route crossing from Serbia into Hungary, 24 August 2015]]
==International reactions== In September 2015, [[NATO]] Secretary General [[Jens Stoltenberg]] noted that NATO could play a long-term role stabilizing war-torn countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and in Afghanistan, but that "immediate measures, border, migrant, the discussion about quotas, so on – [are] civilian issues, addressed by the European Union."<ref>"[http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/49701-full-text-nato-secretary-general-jens-stoltenberg-in-prague NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Bohuslav Sobotka met with the press Sept. 9.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923031741/http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/49701-full-text-nato-secretary-general-jens-stoltenberg-in-prague |date=23 September 2015 }}". ''[[The Prague Post]]''. 10 September 2015.</ref>
The Russian Federation released an official statement on 2 September 2015 reporting that the [[United Nations Security Council]] was working on a draft resolution to address the European migrant crisis, likely by permitting the inspection of suspected migrant ships.<ref name=UNSecurityCouncilMigrantCrisis>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/09/02/world/europe/ap-un-united-nations-migrants.html |title=Russia: Security Council Addressing Europe's Migrant Crisis |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2 September 2015 |access-date=2 September 2015 |archive-date=5 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905071047/http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/09/02/world/europe/ap-un-united-nations-migrants.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The International Organization for Migration claimed that deaths at sea increased ninefold after the end of [[Operation Mare Nostrum]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-idUSKBN0NA07020150419 |title=Up to 700 feared dead after migrant boat sinks off Libya |work=Reuters |date=19 April 2015 |access-date=24 February 2024 |archive-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425123653/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-idUSKBN0NA07020150419 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] condemned European governments for "negligence towards the [[humanitarian crisis]] in the Mediterranean" which they say led to an increase in deaths at sea.
In April 2015, Amnesty International and [[Human Rights Watch]] criticised the funding of search and rescue operations. Amnesty International said that the EU was "turning its back on its responsibilities and clearly threatening thousands of lives".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.yahoo.com/400-migrants-died-boat-capsize-off-libya-ngos-184512068.html |title=EU faces fury after new migrant shipwreck tragedy |work=[[Yahoo! News]] |access-date=15 April 2015 |archive-date=18 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418060128/http://news.yahoo.com/400-migrants-died-boat-capsize-off-libya-ngos-184512068.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/19/eu-mediterranean-deaths-warrant-crisis-response |title=EU: Mediterranean Deaths Warrant Crisis Response |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=19 April 2015 |access-date=20 April 2015 |archive-date=21 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421154829/http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/04/19/eu-mediterranean-deaths-warrant-crisis-response |url-status=live }}</ref>
Australian prime minister [[Tony Abbott]] said the tragedies were "worsened by Europe's refusal to learn from its own mistakes and from the efforts of others who have handled similar problems. Destroying the criminal people-smugglers was the centre of gravity of [[Operation Sovereign Borders|our border control policies]], and judicious boat turnbacks was the key."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11551870/EU-should-follow-Australias-example-and-send-back-migrant-boats-says-Tony-Abbott.html |title=EU should follow Australia's example and send back migrant boats, says Tony Abbott |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=21 April 2015 |location=London |access-date=5 April 2018 |archive-date=28 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828093517/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11551870/EU-should-follow-Australias-example-and-send-back-migrant-boats-says-Tony-Abbott.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Then-U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] praised Germany for taking a leading role in accepting refugees.<ref>"[http://www.dw.com/en/obama-tells-merkel-he-appreciates-her-leadership-on-migrant-crisis/a-18676627 Obama tells Merkel he appreciates her leadership on migrant crisis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923061748/http://www.dw.com/en/obama-tells-merkel-he-appreciates-her-leadership-on-migrant-crisis/a-18676627 |date=23 September 2015 }}". [[Deutsche Welle]]. 27 August 2015.</ref> During his April 2016 visit to [[Germany]], he praised German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] for being on "the right side of history" with her open-border immigration policy.<ref>"[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-25/merkel-'on-right-side-of-history'-over-refugee-stance-obama-says/7354418 Barack Obama says Angela Merkel 'on right side of history' over pro-refugee stance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427062223/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-25/merkel-%27on-right-side-of-history%27-over-refugee-stance-obama-says/7354418 |date=27 April 2016 }}". ABC News. 24 April 2016.</ref>
In a report released in January 2016, [[Médecins Sans Frontières]] (MSF) denounced the EU response to the [[refugee crisis]] in 2015 and said that policies of deterrence and chaotic response to the humanitarian needs of those who fled actively worsened the conditions of refugees and migrants and created a "policy-made humanitarian crisis". According to MSF, obstacles placed by EU governments included "not providing any alternative to a deadly sea crossing, erecting razor wire fences, continuously changing administrative and registration procedures, committing acts of violence at sea and at land borders and providing completely inadequate reception conditions in Italy and Greece".<ref>{{cite web|title=Migration: European policies dramatically worsened the so-called 2015 "refugee crisis"|url=http://www.msf.org/article/migration-european-policies-dramatically-worsened-so-called-2015-%E2%80%9Crefugee-crisis%E2%80%9D|publisher=Médecins Sans Frontières|date=19 January 2016|access-date=27 January 2016|archive-date=22 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122041112/http://www.msf.org/article/migration-european-policies-dramatically-worsened-so-called-2015-%E2%80%9Crefugee-crisis%E2%80%9D|url-status=live}}</ref>
In March 2016, NATO General [[Philip M. Breedlove|Philip Breedlove]] stated, "Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve. .. These indiscriminate weapons used by both Bashar al-Assad, and the non-precision use of weapons by the Russian forces – I can't find any other reason for them other than to cause refugees to be on the move and make them someone else's problem."<ref name=DW160302>{{cite news |url= http://www.dw.com/en/nato-commander-russia-uses-syrian-refugees-as-weapon-against-west/a-19086285 |title= NATO Commander: Russia uses Syrian refugees as 'weapon' against West |publisher= [[Deutsche Welle]] |date= 2 March 2016 |access-date= 2 March 2016 |archive-date= 2 March 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160302031933/http://www.dw.com/en/nato-commander-russia-uses-syrian-refugees-as-weapon-against-west/a-19086285 |url-status= live }}</ref> He also expressed concern that criminals, extremists and [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIS]] fighters might be among the flow of migrants.<ref>{{cite news|title=Migrant crisis: Russia and Syria 'weaponising' migration|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35706238|work=BBC News|date=2 March 2016|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=18 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218052818/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35706238|url-status=live}}</ref>
On 18 June 2016, [[United Nations]] chief [[Ban Ki-moon]] also called for international support and praised Greece for showing "remarkable solidarity and compassion" towards refugees.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dw.com/en/un-chief-ban-ki-moon-urges-international-support-for-greece-over-refugees/a-19340214|title=UN chief Ban Ki-moon urges international support for Greece over refugees|publisher=Deutsche Welle|access-date=20 June 2016|archive-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620102708/http://www.dw.com/en/un-chief-ban-ki-moon-urges-international-support-for-greece-over-refugees/a-19340214|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-greece-un-idUSKCN0Z40AQ|title=Countries must do more to help Greece with migrant crisis: U.N. chief|work=Reuters|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-date=27 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827022300/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-greece-un-idUSKCN0Z40AQ|url-status=live}}</ref> The lack of action by UNESCO in this area was the subject of controversy. Some scholars, like António Silva,<ref>{{cite book|language=fr|last=Silva|first=A. J. M.|title=Le régime UNESCO (Discours et pratiques alimentaires en Méditerranée vol. III)|editor=Create Space|year=2016|isbn=978-1532997112|url=https://www.academia.edu/27222415|pages=186–188|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |access-date=14 August 2016|archive-date=29 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129151755/https://www.academia.edu/27222415|url-status=live}}</ref> blamed UNESCO for not denouncing racism against war refugees in Europe with the same vigor as the vandalism against ancient monuments perpetrated by fundamentalists in the Middle East.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
== Aftermath == Following the European Union's measures to prevent asylum seekers from reaching its borders, monthly arrivals dropped to around 10,000–20,000 in spring 2016. Arrival numbers fell in each of the following years, dropping to 95,000 by 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mediterranean Situation|url=https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean|url-status=live|access-date=29 August 2021|website=data2.unhcr.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919092311/http://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/mediterranean |archive-date=19 September 2016 }}</ref> Turkish president [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] continued to occasionally threaten to renege on Turkey's agreement to prevent migrants and refugees from reaching Europe, often demanding more cash<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Turkey-cynically-pushes-migrants-toward-coronavirus-hit-Europe-621017|title=Turkey cynically pushes migrants toward coronavirus-hit Europe|agency=Jerusalem Post|date=15 March 2020|author=Seth J. Frantzman|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=3 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003010400/https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/turkey-cynically-pushes-migrants-toward-coronavirus-hit-europe-621017|url-status=live}}</ref> or retaliating for European criticism of Turkey's human rights record.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-the-hell-is-happening-with-migrants-in-greece/|title=What the Hell Is Happening With Migrants in Greece?|date=3 April 2020|author=Aris Roussinos|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809203738/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3a8mny/what-the-hell-is-happening-with-migrants-in-greece|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Effects on politics === The refugee crisis polarized European society. In Western Europe, large majorities supported accepting refugees fleeing violence and war, while Eastern Europeans were generally more ambivalent. At the same time, however, large majorities also disapproved of the EU's handling of the refugee wave.<ref name=":14" /> [[File:Praha, Václavské náměstí, říjnová demonstrace proti přijetí uprchlíků, Tomio Okamura.jpg|thumb|Czech politician and leader of the right-wing populist party [[Freedom and Direct Democracy|SPD]], [[Tomio Okamura]], speaks at an anti-immigration rally in [[Prague]], 17 October 2015]] As southeastern European countries began seeing large numbers of refugees and migrants began moving through them, political leaders began to capitalize on the uncertainty felt by locals. The Hungarian prime minister, [[Viktor Orbán]], in particular began to campaign on fear of immigration, calling refugees "Muslim invaders",<ref>{{Cite web|last=Agerholm|first=Harriet|date=9 January 2018|title=Refugees are 'Muslim invaders', says Hungarian PM Viktor Orban|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugees-muslim-invaders-hungary-viktor-orban-racism-islamophobia-eu-a8149251.html|url-status=live|access-date=13 July 2021|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109125829/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/refugees-muslim-invaders-hungary-viktor-orban-racism-islamophobia-eu-a8149251.html |archive-date=9 January 2018 }}</ref> conflating migrants with terrorism,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaminski|first=Matthew|date=23 November 2015|title='All the terrorists are migrants': Viktor Orbán on how to protect Europe from terror, save Schengen, and get along with Putin's Russia|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-interview-terrorists-migrants-eu-russia-putin-borders-schengen/|url-status=live|access-date=13 July 2021|website=Politico|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123105848/http://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-interview-terrorists-migrants-eu-russia-putin-borders-schengen/ |archive-date=23 November 2015 }}</ref> and stating that they were part of a "left-wing conspiracy" to gain new voters.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=12 November 2015|title=Hungary's Orban suspects left-wing plot in migrant crisis|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-orban-idUSKCN0T112G20151112|access-date=13 July 2021|archive-date=13 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713061914/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-orban-idUSKCN0T112G20151112|url-status=live}}</ref> In October, Czech President [[Miloš Zeman]] used similar rhetoric to campaign on opposition to refugees.<ref>{{cite web|date=30 August 2015|title=President cites disease, terrorist sleeper cells as causes for concern|url=http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/49528-zeman-refugees-should-be-promptly-returned|access-date=5 September 2015|website=The Prague Post|archive-date=1 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901161935/http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/49528-zeman-refugees-should-be-promptly-returned|url-status=live}}</ref>
The refugee crisis was also a major issue in Poland's [[2015 Polish parliamentary election|2015 parliamentary elections]], with then-[[Leader of the Opposition|opposition leader]] [[Jarosław Kaczyński]] in particular stoking fear of immigrants and claiming the EU was planning to flood Poland with Muslims. Under incumbent prime minister [[Ewa Kopacz]], Poland had agreed to accept 2,000 refugees as part of the European Union's plan to distribute a fraction of that year's arrivals, while at the same time opposing the settlement of "economic migrants".<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=10 September 2015|title=Polish prime minister says accepting refugees is Poland's duty|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-poland-idUSKCN0RA0SR20150910|access-date=13 July 2021|archive-date=13 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713075123/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-poland-idUSKCN0RA0SR20150910|url-status=live}}</ref> After Kaczyński's [[Law and Justice (Poland)|Law and Justice]] party won the elections, Poland rescinded its willingness to cooperate with the European Commission.<ref>"[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-08/polish-president-blasts-eu-dictate-of-the-strong-on-migrants Poland's Duda Blasts EU `Dictate of the Strong' on Migrants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170417072149/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-08/polish-president-blasts-eu-dictate-of-the-strong-on-migrants |date=17 April 2017 }}". Bloomberg. 8 September 2015.</ref>
[[Nigel Farage]], leader of the British [[United Kingdom Independence Party]], said that Islamists could exploit the situation and enter Europe in large numbers.<ref>{{cite web|date=4 September 2015|title=Video: Thousands of Isis fighters could use migrant crisis to 'flood' into Europe, Nigel Farage warns – Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nigel-farage/11844290/Thousands-of-Isil-fighters-could-use-migrant-crisis-to-flood-into-Europe-Nigel-Farage-warns.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906191957/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nigel-farage/11844290/Thousands-of-Isil-fighters-could-use-migrant-crisis-to-flood-into-Europe-Nigel-Farage-warns.html|archive-date=6 September 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ausnahmen für Asylbewerber – Landkreise wollen Mindestlohn senken|trans-title=Exceptions for Asylum Seekers – Organization of Districts wants to lower Minimum Wage|url=http://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/Landkreise-wollen-Mindestlohn-senken-article15853956.html|work=N-TV.de|language=de|access-date=9 September 2015|archive-date=5 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905170350/http://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/Landkreise-wollen-Mindestlohn-senken-article15853956.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In western European countries, although support for refugees was generally high,<ref name=":14">{{Cite web|last=Connor|first=Phillip|date=19 September 2018|title=Europeans support taking in refugees – but not EU's handling of issue|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/19/a-majority-of-europeans-favor-taking-in-refugees-but-most-disapprove-of-eus-handling-of-the-issue/|url-status=live|access-date=13 July 2021|website=[[Pew Research Center]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920043810/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/19/a-majority-of-europeans-favor-taking-in-refugees-but-most-disapprove-of-eus-handling-of-the-issue/ |archive-date=20 September 2018 }}</ref> [[Far-right politics|far-right]] leaders fiercely opposed allowing the newly arrived refugees to stay. [[Matteo Salvini]], leader of Italy's [[Lega Nord|League]], described the migration as a "planned invasion" which must be stopped.<ref>[https://www.la7.it/lariadestate/video/salvini-smettiamola-con-questa-invasione-pianificata-29-06-2015-158129 Salvini: smettiamola con questa invasione pianificata] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114172651/https://www.la7.it/lariadestate/video/salvini-smettiamola-con-questa-invasione-pianificata-29-06-2015-158129 |date=14 November 2021 }}, ''La7''</ref> [[Geert Wilders]], leader of the Dutch [[Party for Freedom]], called the influx of people an "Islamic invasion" and spoke of "masses of young men in their twenties with beards singing ''Allahu Akbar'' across Europe".<ref>{{cite news|date=10 September 2015|title=Wilders tells Dutch parliament refugee crisis is 'Islamic invasion'|work=Reuters (US)|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-netherlands-idUSKCN0RA0WY20150910|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=10 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010120832/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-netherlands-idUSKCN0RA0WY20150910|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Marine Le Pen]], leader of the French far-right [[National Front (France)|National Front]], was criticized by German media<ref>{{cite news|date=6 September 2015|title=Front National unterstellt Deutschland Interesse an Arbeitssklaven|language=de|work=Der Spiegel|url=http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/front-national-unterstellt-deutschland-interesse-an-arbeitssklaven-a-1051675.html|access-date=9 September 2015|archive-date=9 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909064119/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/front-national-unterstellt-deutschland-interesse-an-arbeitssklaven-a-1051675.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=7 September 2015|title=Berlin will mit Flüchtlingen "Sklaven rekrutieren"|language=de|newspaper=Die Welt|url=https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article146112084/Berlin-will-mit-Fluechtlingen-Sklaven-rekrutieren.html|access-date=6 March 2017|archive-date=16 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916052322/https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article146112084/Berlin-will-mit-Fluechtlingen-Sklaven-rekrutieren.html|url-status=live}}</ref> for implying that Germany was looking to undercut minimum wage laws and hire "slaves".<ref>{{cite news|title=BWIHK-Präsident will Mindestlohn für Flüchtlinge aufweichen|trans-title=President wants to soften Minimum Wage Rules for Refugees|url=https://www.welt.de/regionales/baden-wuerttemberg/article145573021/BWIHK-Praesident-will-Mindestlohn-fuer-Fluechtlinge-aufweichen.html|work=Die Welt|date=24 August 2015|language=de|access-date=6 May 2020|archive-date=6 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200506214840/https://www.welt.de/regionales/baden-wuerttemberg/article145573021/BWIHK-Praesident-will-Mindestlohn-fuer-Fluechtlinge-aufweichen.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Germany's acceptance of over 1 million asylum seekers was controversial both within Angela Merkel's [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]] [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|Christian Democratic Union]] party and among the general public.<ref name="Hill">{{cite news|last1=Hill|first1=Jenny|date=30 July 2013|title=Immigration fuels rising tension in Germany|publisher=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33700624|access-date=18 August 2015|archive-date=19 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150819003253/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33700624|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Pegida]], an anti-immigration protest movement that had flourished briefly in late 2014, experienced a resurgence at the end of summer 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connolly |first=Kate |date=2015-10-27 |title='Like a poison': how anti-immigrant Pegida is dividing Dresden |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/pegida-germany-anti-immigrant-group-polarising-dresden |access-date=2026-05-13 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Many members of parliament for the CDU voiced dissatisfaction with Merkel. [[Horst Seehofer]], then premier of [[Bavaria]], became a prominent critic within the CDU of Merkel's refugee policy<ref>"[http://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-bavaria-hardline-hero-seehofer-migration-borders/ Viktor Orbán, Bavaria's hardline hero] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119194404/https://www.politico.eu/article/viktor-orban-bavaria-hardline-hero-seehofer-migration-borders/ |date=19 January 2018 }}". ''[[Politico]]''. 23 September 2015.</ref> and alleged that as many as 30 per cent of Germany's asylum seekers claiming to be from Syria were in fact from other countries.<ref>"[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11891219/Refugee-crisis-Many-migrants-falsely-claim-to-be-Syrians-Germany-says-as-EU-tries-to-ease-tensions.html Refugee crisis: Many migrants falsely claim to be Syrians, Germany says as EU tries to ease tensions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108115237/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11891219/Refugee-crisis-Many-migrants-falsely-claim-to-be-Syrians-Germany-says-as-EU-tries-to-ease-tensions.html |date=8 November 2020 }}". ''The Daily Telegraph''. 25 September 2015.</ref> [[Yasmin Fahimi]], secretary-general of the [[Centre-left politics|centre-left]] [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD), the junior partner of the ruling coalition, praised Merkel's policy allowing migrants in Hungary to enter Germany as "a strong signal of humanity to show that Europe's values are valid also in difficult times".<ref name="auto">{{cite news|last=|first=|date=6 September 2015|title=Merkel splits conservative bloc with green light to refugees|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-germany-criticism/merkel-splits-conservative-bloc-with-green-light-to-refugees-idUSKCN0R60K820150906?edition-redirect=uk|access-date=|archive-date=9 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209022526/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-germany-criticism/merkel-splits-conservative-bloc-with-green-light-to-refugees-idUSKCN0R60K820150906?edition-redirect=uk|url-status=live}}</ref>
In the [[2017 German federal election]], the [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] [[Alternative for Germany]] (AfD) gained 12% of the vote, which was attributed in part to anxieties around immigration.<ref>{{Cite news|date=25 September 2017|title=German election: Merkel wins fourth term, AfD nationalists rise|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41376577|access-date=19 July 2021|archive-date=31 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731164154/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41376577|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2022 study by the Bertelsmann Foundation showed that positive and negative assessments have begun to "roughly balance each other out", with those surveyed for the study expressing concerns about additional burden on the welfare state and social conflict, while also hoping that the migrants "could solve Germany's demographic and economic problems.<ref>{{Cite web|website=Deutsche Welle|title=Germans less skeptical of immigration|date=16 February 2022|url=https://www.dw.com/en/germans-less-skeptical-of-immigration/a-60801783|access-date=29 August 2022|language=en-GB|archive-date=29 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829155534/https://www.dw.com/en/germans-less-skeptical-of-immigration/a-60801783|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Willkommenskultur zwischen Stabilität und Aufbruch |url=https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/de/publikationen/publikation/did/willkommenskultur-zwischen-stabilitaet-und-aufbruch-all |access-date=29 August 2022 |website=www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de |language=de |archive-date=29 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829155536/https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/de/publikationen/publikation/did/willkommenskultur-zwischen-stabilitaet-und-aufbruch-all |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Referendum 2016.jpg|thumb|right|Viktor Orbán declares the government's victory after the publication of the preliminary result on the eve of the referendum. Subtitle: "''Let us defend Hungary!''"]] [[File:Salvini Torino 2013 (cropped).JPG|thumb|Italian far-right politician [[Matteo Salvini]] speaks at an anti-immigration rally in [[Turin]], 2013]]
The Hungarian government under [[Fidesz]] held a [[2016 Hungarian migrant quota referendum| referendum in 2016]], where the overwhelming majority (98.4%) rejected the EU's mandatory migrant quotas, although the result was not considered valid because turnout fell short of the required 50% threshold, due to the opposition boycotting the referendum.
=== Effects on 2016 Brexit vote === {{further|Causes of the vote in favour of Brexit}}
The [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum]] took place on 23 June 2016, around nine months after peak of the refugee crisis. The UK was never a member of the [[Schengen Area]] and so experienced very few direct effects of the influx of migrants.<ref>{{Cite web|last=May|first=Theresa|date=25 April 2016|title=Home Secretary's speech on the UK, EU and our place in the world|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretarys-speech-on-the-uk-eu-and-our-place-in-the-world|url-status=live|access-date=5 August 2021|website=UK Government|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426183627/https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretarys-speech-on-the-uk-eu-and-our-place-in-the-world |archive-date=26 April 2016 }}</ref> Nevertheless, [[Leave.EU]], one of the two main groups campaigning in favour of Brexit, made the refugee crisis its defining issue (the other main pro-Leave group, [[Vote Leave]], primarily focused on economic arguments). The campaign portrayed the European Union as inept and unable to control its borders, and conflated the refugee crisis with unease over Turkey's application to [[Accession of Turkey to the European Union|join the EU]] (although very few of the 2015 refugees were from Turkey).<ref name="Oxford">{{cite web|last1=Outhwaite|first1=William|date=28 February 2019|editor1-last=Menjívar|editor1-first=Cecilia|editor2-last=Ruiz|editor2-first=Marie|editor3-last=Ness|editor3-first=Immanuel|title=Migration Crisis and "Brexit"|url=https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190856908.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190856908-e-7|website=The Oxford Handbook of Migration Crises|publisher=Oxford Handbooks|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190856908.001.0001|isbn=9780190856908|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=14 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514004151/https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190856908.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190856908-e-7|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Theresa May]], then [[Home Secretary of the United Kingdom|Home Secretary]] (and later [[Premiership of Theresa May|prime minister]]), though critical of the European Union's immigration policy, opposed Brexit and argued that the UK was already well-isolated from immigration crises occurring in the wider EU: {{Blockquote|"Now I know some people say the EU does not make us more secure because it does not allow us to control our border. But that is not true. [[Citizens' Rights Directive|Free movement rules]] mean it is harder to control the volume of European immigration – and as I said yesterday that is clearly no good thing – but they do not mean we cannot control the border. The fact that we are not part of [[Schengen Area|Schengen]] – the group of countries without border checks – means we have avoided the worst of the migration crisis that has hit continental Europe over the last year."|Home Secretary, Theresa May<ref>{{cite web |last1=May |first1=Theresa |title=Theresa May addresses audience at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in central London. |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretarys-speech-on-the-uk-eu-and-our-place-in-the-world |website=UK Gov |date=25 April 2016 |access-date=24 February 2024 |archive-date=26 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426183627/https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretarys-speech-on-the-uk-eu-and-our-place-in-the-world |url-status=live }} Content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0</ref>}}
The Brexit vote resulted in a narrow decision to leave the EU (51.9% to 48.1%). According to [[exit poll]]s, one third of Leave voters believed leaving the EU would allow Britain to better control immigration and its own borders.<ref name="lordashcroftpolls">{{cite web|last1=Ashcroft|first1=Lord|title=How the United Kingdom voted on Thursday... and why – Lord Ashcroft Polls|date=24 June 2016|url=https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2016/06/how-the-united-kingdom-voted-and-why/|publisher=lordashcroftpolls|access-date=24 February 2024|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921170004/http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2016/06/how-the-united-kingdom-voted-and-why/|url-status=live}} http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/How-the-UK-voted-Full-tables-1.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116051533/http://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/How-the-UK-voted-Full-tables-1.pdf |date=16 November 2023 }}</ref>
=== Integration of refugees === {{Main|Integration of immigrants}} While figures specifically for refugees are often not available, they tend to be disproportionately unemployed compared to the local population, especially in the years immediately following their resettlement. [[OECD]] data comparing employment rates of local-born compared to foreign-born residents demonstrated large differences between countries. According to a 2016 article, it took foreign-born an average of 20 years to fully "catch up" with locals. In all countries except Italy and Portugal, immigrants had lower rates of employment compared to the local population, but considerable differences exist with respect to both host countries and countries of origin. In the [[Netherlands]], [[Denmark]], [[Sweden]] and [[Germany]], for instance, the gap was larger than in the [[United Kingdom|UK]], [[Italy]] and [[Portugal]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 November 2016 |title=Seeking asylum—and jobs |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2016/11/05/seeking-asylum-and-jobs |access-date=20 July 2021 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=20 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720003421/https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2016/11/05/seeking-asylum-and-jobs |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Rejected asylum seekers === People whose asylum applications are rejected are generally required to return to their home countries. Some do so voluntarily; others are [[Deportation|deported]]. However, deportation is often difficult in practice; a common reason is lacking travel documents or the person's country of origin refusing to accept returnees.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Peter |first=Laurence |date=8 September 2015 |title=Migrant crisis: Who does the EU send back? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34190359 |access-date=19 July 2021 |archive-date=27 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427091335/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34190359 |url-status=live }}</ref> The annual rate of return has generally averaged around one-third.<ref>{{Cite news |last=O'Leary |first=Naomi |date=18 September 2020 |title=EU to propose quick deportation of failed asylum seekers |language=en |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-to-propose-quick-deportation-of-failed-asylum-seekers-1.4358691 |url-status=live |access-date=19 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022070946/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-to-propose-quick-deportation-of-failed-asylum-seekers-1.4358691 |archive-date=22 October 2020}}</ref> In some countries that took in large numbers of asylum seekers, this has resulted in tens of thousands of people not having legal residency rights, raising worries of institutionalised poverty and the creation of [[Parallel society|parallel societies]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindsay |first=Frey |date=11 February 2020 |title=Sweden Has A Problem Sending Asylum Seekers Back |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/freylindsay/2020/02/11/sweden-has-a-problem-sending-asylum-seekers-back/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212175054/https://www.forbes.com/sites/freylindsay/2020/02/11/sweden-has-a-problem-sending-asylum-seekers-back/ |archive-date=12 February 2020 |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> The years following the 2015 refugee crisis saw some European countries enact legislation to speed up deportations.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mischke |first=Judith |date=7 June 2019 |title=Germany Passes Controversial Migration Law |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-passes-controversial-migration-law/ |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=Politico |archive-date=29 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929143123/https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-passes-controversial-migration-law/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The EU began threatening to withhold [[development aid]] from or impose visa restrictions on countries refusing to take in their own citizens.
For a variety of reasons, some rejected asylum seekers also ended up being permitted to stay. Some countries, such as Germany and Sweden, allow rejected asylum seekers to apply for certain other visas (e.g., to pursue [[Vocational education|vocational training]] if they have secured an [[Apprenticeship in Germany|apprenticeship]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wahnschaffe |first=Anja |date=9 February 2021 |title=Umstritten: Ausbildungsvisum für abgelehnte Asylbewerber |url=https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/abgelehnte-asylbewerber-kaempfen-um-einen-ausbildungsplatz,SOSGuaD |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209053408/https://www.br.de/nachrichten/deutschland-welt/abgelehnte-asylbewerber-kaempfen-um-einen-ausbildungsplatz,SOSGuaD |archive-date=9 February 2021 |access-date=19 July 2021 |website=[[BR24]] |language=de}}</ref>
=== Tightening of asylum laws === Around November 2015, some European countries restricted [[family reunification|family reunions]] for refugees, and started campaigns to dissuade people worldwide to migrate to Europe. EU leaders also quietly encouraged Balkan governments to only allow nationals from the most war-torn countries (Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq) to pass into the EU.<ref name=":16">{{cite news |author=Alison Smale |date=28 November 2015 |title=Merkel, While Refusing to Halt Migrant Influx, Works to Limit It |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/world/europe/merkel-while-refusing-to-halt-migrant-influx-works-to-limit-it.html |access-date=28 November 2015 |archive-date=29 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151129034429/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/world/europe/merkel-while-refusing-to-halt-migrant-influx-works-to-limit-it.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2016 [[Sweden]] began issuing three-year residence permits to recognized refugees. Refugees had previously received [[permanent residency]] automatically.<ref name="dn_21June2016">{{cite news |date=21 June 2016 |title=Ny skärpt asyllag klubbad |newspaper=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |url=https://www.dn.se/nyheter/politik/ny-skarpt-asyllag-klubbad/ |access-date=21 June 2016 |archive-date=21 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621161722/http://www.dn.se/nyheter/politik/ny-skarpt-asyllag-klubbad/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In January 2016, Denmark passed a law permitting police to confiscate valuables like jewelry and cash from refugees. As of early 2019, the police had only enforced the cash-seizing provision.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barrett |first1=Michael |date=24 January 2019 |title=Three years after Denmark's infamous 'jewellery law' hit world headlines, not a single piece has been confiscated |url=https://www.thelocal.dk/20190124/three-years-after-denmarks-infamous-jewellery-law-hit-world-headlines-not-a-single-piece-has-been-confiscated/ |access-date=19 July 2021 |archive-date=19 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719002745/https://www.thelocal.dk/20190124/three-years-after-denmarks-infamous-jewellery-law-hit-world-headlines-not-a-single-piece-has-been-confiscated/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Post-traumatic stress === {{See also|Refugee health#Mental health}}
Refugees, who have often fled violence their home countries and experienced further violence during their journey, have high rates of [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] (PTSD).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mahmood |first1=Harem Nareeman |last2=Ibrahim |first2=Hawkar |last3=Goessmann |first3=Katharina |last4=Ismail |first4=Azad Ali |last5=Neuner |first5=Frank |date=2019 |title=Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among Syrian refugees residing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq |journal=Conflict and Health |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=51 |doi=10.1186/s13031-019-0238-5 |issn=1752-1505 |pmc=6842196 |pmid=31728157 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In 2016 in Sweden, 30% of Syrian refugees were estimated to suffer from PTSD, [[Depression (mood)|depression]], and [[Anxiety disorder|anxiety]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Refugees battle mental health problems in Sweden – IFRC |url=https://www.ifrc.org/ar/news-and-media/news-stories/europe-central-asia/sweden/refugees-battle-mental-health-problems-in-sweden-73709/?print=true |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720023133/https://www.ifrc.org/ar/news-and-media/news-stories/europe-central-asia/sweden/refugees-battle-mental-health-problems-in-sweden-73709/?print=true |archive-date=20 July 2021 |access-date=20 July 2021 |website=[[Red Cross]]}}</ref> In 2020, a study of physically healthy young refugees in Germany identified 40% as having risk factors for PTSD.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abbott |first=Alison |date=12 May 2020 |title=How young refugees' traumatic pasts shape their mental health |url=http://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01408-3 |journal=Nature |language=en |pages=d41586–020–01408-3 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-01408-3 |issn=0028-0836 |pmid=32398817 |s2cid=218617587 |access-date=20 July 2021 |archive-date=20 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720013136/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01408-3 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Long asylum claim processing times, during which refugees cannot work or travel and contemplate being sent back to their home country, often compound poor [[mental health]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davaki |first=Konstantina |date=19 April 2021 |title=The traumas endured by refugee women and their consequences for integration and participation in the EU host country |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=IPOL_STU(2021)691875 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720013120/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=IPOL_STU(2021)691875 |archive-date=20 July 2021 |access-date=20 July 2021 |website=European Parliament |publisher=European Parliament Think Tank |language=en}}</ref> Although asylum applications are in principle supposed to be processed within six months on average, many countries that took in significantly more refugees than in previous years took considerably longer – in many cases over year and sometimes up to two.<ref>{{cite web |title=The length of asylum procedures in Europe |url=https://www.ecre.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/AIDA-Brief-DurationProcedures.pdf |access-date=21 July 2021 |website=[[European Council on Refugees and Exiles]] |publisher=Asylum Information Database |archive-date=22 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722082602/https://ecre.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/AIDA-Brief-DurationProcedures.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
In Germany, refugees do not have access to non-[[Acute (medicine)|acute]] medical care, including therapy mental health treatments, until they have lived in the country for at least 15 months. Language barriers also often make therapy particularly difficult.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2 August 2016 |title=Wie werden Geflüchtete psychotherapeutisch versorgt? |url=https://mediendienst-integration.de/artikel/wie-funktioniert-die-psychologische-versorgung-von-asylbewerbern.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909140346/http://mediendienst-integration.de/artikel/wie-funktioniert-die-psychologische-versorgung-von-asylbewerbern.html |archive-date=9 September 2017 |access-date=20 July 2021 |website=Mediendienst Integration |language=de}}</ref>
== Press coverage== The [[Cardiff School of Journalism]], in a report on behalf of [[UNHCR]], analysed several thousand media reports on the refugee crisis in Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden. In all countries, conservative tabloids and newspapers, such as the British ''[[Daily Mail]]'', the Spanish ''[[ABC (newspaper)|ABC]]'' and the German ''[[Die Welt|Welt]]'', were found to be more likely to emphasize perceived risks of extremists among arriving refugees, while centre-left publications were more likely to mention humanitarian aspects. A similar split was apparent in the reasons for people fleeing their home countries: right-wing newspapers were more likely to mention economic reasons than left-of-centre ones.<ref name="cardiff_s_o_j_dec2015_preface">{{cite book|title=Press Coverage of the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in the EU: A Content Analysis of Five European Countries|date=December 2015|publisher=[[Cardiff School of Journalism]]|page=1|url=http://www.unhcr.org/protection/operations/56bb369c9/press-coverage-refugee-migrant-crisis-eu-content-analysis-five-european.html|access-date=18 February 2018|archive-date=18 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218210455/http://www.unhcr.org/protection/operations/56bb369c9/press-coverage-refugee-migrant-crisis-eu-content-analysis-five-european.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The study also found significant differences between countries, noting that right-wing media in the United Kingdom had conducted a "uniquely aggressive campaign" against refugees and migrants in 2015. Threats to welfare systems and cultural threats were most prevalent in Italy, Spain, and Britain while humanitarian themes were more frequent in Italian coverage. More subtle differences in were found in the terminology used: German and Swedish media overwhelmingly used the terms ''refugee'' or ''asylum seeker'' while Italy and UK were more likely to use the term ''migrant''. In Spain, the dominant term was ''immigrant''. Overall the [[Media of Sweden|Swedish press]] was most positive towards the arrivals.<ref name="cardiff_s_o_j_dec2015_preface"/>
===Press coverage of German migration policies=== Journalist [[Will Hutton]] for the British newspaper ''The Guardian'' praised Angela Merkel's leadership during the refugee crisis: "Angela Merkel's humane stance on migration is a lesson to us all... The German leader has stood up to be counted. Europe should rally to her side... She wants to keep Germany and Europe open, to welcome legitimate asylum seekers in common humanity, while doing her very best to stop abuse and keep the movement to manageable proportions. Which demands a European-wide response (...)".<ref>{{cite web|author=Will Hutton|date=30 August 2015|title=Angela Merkel's humane stance on immigration is a lesson to us all|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/30/immigration-asylumseekers-refugees-migrants-angela-merkel|access-date=19 September 2015|work=The Guardian|archive-date=19 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919021421/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/30/immigration-asylumseekers-refugees-migrants-angela-merkel|url-status=live}}</ref>
Analyst Naina Bajekal for the United States' magazine ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' in September 2015 suggested that the German decision to allow Syrian refugees to apply for asylum in Germany even if they had reached Germany through other EU member states in August 2015, led to increased numbers of refugees from Syria and other regions – Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, Ukraine, Congo, South Sudan etc. – endeavouring to reach (Western) Europe.<ref name="BajekalTime">{{cite news|last=Bajekal|first=Naina|date=9 September 2015|title=The 5 Big Questions About Europe's Migrant Crisis|url=https://time.com/4026380/europe-migrant-crisis-questions-refugees/|magazine=Time|access-date=16 June 2017|archive-date=23 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523023128/http://time.com/4026380/europe-migrant-crisis-questions-refugees/|url-status=live}}</ref>
In March 2016, the UK's ''Daily Telegraph'' said that Merkel's 2015 decisions concerning migration represented an "open door policy", which it said was "encouraging migration into Europe that her own country is unwilling to absorb" and as damaging the EU, "perhaps terminally".<ref>"[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/angela-merkel/12193876/Angela-Merkels-historic-error-on-immigration.html Angela Merkel's historic error on immigration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103175749/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/angela-merkel/12193876/Angela-Merkels-historic-error-on-immigration.html |date=3 November 2017 }}". ''The Daily Telegraph.'' 15 March 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2019</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|2010s|European Union|Asia|Africa|Politics}} {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * [[2015–2016 German migrant crisis]] * [[African immigration to Europe]] * [[Demographics of Europe]] * [[Emigration from Africa]] * [[Malta Declaration (European Union)]] * [[Free movement protocol]] * [[Illegal immigration]] * [[Immigration to Greece]] * [[List of migrant vessel incidents on the Mediterranean Sea]] * [[Migrants' African routes]] * [[Petra László incident]] * [[Turkish migrant crisis]] * [[Ukrainian refugee crisis]] * [[Willkommenskultur]] * [[With Open Gates]] * [[Wir schaffen das]] {{div col end}} {{clear}}
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== {{refbegin|40em}}
===Books=== * {{cite book |last1=Zolberg |first1=Aristide R |last2=Suhrke |first2=Astri |last3=Aguayo |first3=Sergio |date=1989 |title=Escape from Violence : Conflict and the Refugee Crisis in the Developing World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSX1n0xFNCgC |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195363623 |access-date=26 August 2020 |archive-date=24 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224122551/https://books.google.com/books?id=dSX1n0xFNCgC |url-status=live }} * {{cite book |last=Pécoud |first=Antoine |date=2015 |title=Depoliticising Migration: Global Governance and International Migration Narratives |url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1137445939 |location=London |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-349-49589-4 }} * Janos Besenyo: [https://web.archive.org/web/20171222053235/http://archiv.uni-nke.hu/uploads/media_items/aarms-2017-1-07-besenyo.original.pdf Fences and Border Protection]: The Question of Establishing Technical Barriers in Europe, AARMS, Vol 16, Issue 1, 2017, pp. 77–87. * {{cite book |last= Recchi |first= Ettore |date= 2015 |title= Mobile Europe: The Theory and Practice of Free Movement in the EU |url= https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1137316020 |location= London |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |isbn= 978-1-349-59147-3 }} * {{cite book |editor1-last= Lazaridis |editor1-first= Gabriella |editor2-last= Wadia |editor2-first= Khursheed |date= 2015 |title= The Securitisation of Migration in the EU: Debates since 9/11 |url= https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1137480572 |location= London |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |isbn= 978-1-137-48057-6 }} * {{cite book |last= McMahon |first= Simon |date= 2015 |title= Immigration and Citizenship in an Enlarged European Union: The Political Dynamics of Intra-EU Mobility |url= https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1137433922 |location= London |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |isbn= 978-1-349-49278-7 }} * {{cite book |last= Lazaridis |first= Gabriella |date= 2015 |title= International Migration into Europe: From Subjects to Abjects |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VrvhoQEACAAJ |location= London |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |isbn= 978-1-349-67801-3 |access-date= 26 August 2020 |archive-date= 24 February 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240224122503/https://books.google.com/books?id=VrvhoQEACAAJ |url-status= live }} * {{cite book |last= Odmalm |first= Pontus |date= 2014 |title= The Party Politics of the EU and Immigration |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RCpHBQAAQBAJ |location= London |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |isbn= 978-1-349-34971-5 |access-date= 26 August 2020 |archive-date= 24 February 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240224122420/https://books.google.com/books?id=RCpHBQAAQBAJ |url-status= live }} * {{cite journal |last1= Alonso |first1= Sonia |last2= Claro da Fonseca |first2= Saro |date=2011 |title= Immigration, left and right |journal= Party Politics |volume=18 |issue=16 |pages= 865–884 |doi= 10.1177/1354068810393265|s2cid= 146138620 }} * {{cite journal |last= Connor |first= Phillip |title= Quantifying immigrant diversity in Europe |journal= Ethnic and Racial Studies |volume= 37|issue=11 |pages= 2055–2070 |doi= 10.1080/01419870.2013.809131|year= 2014 |s2cid= 145162384 }} * {{citation |last=Nagayoshi |first=Kikuko |title=Anti-immigration attitudes in different welfare states: Do types of labor market policies matter? |journal=International Journal of Comparative Sociology |volume=56 |issue=2 }} * {{cite journal |last=Modood |first=Tariq |date=2014 |title=Understanding 'Death of Multiculturalism' discourse means understanding multiculturalism |journal=Journal of Multicultural Discourses |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages= 201–211|doi= 10.1080/17447143.2014.934254|s2cid=143889235 }} * {{cite journal |date=2016 |title= Immigration, free movement and the EU referendum |journal= National Institute Economic Review |volume=236 }} * {{citation |last1= Nagayoshi |first1= Kikuko |last2= Hjerm |first2= Mikael |date=2015 |title= Anti-immigration attitudes in different welfare states: Do types of labor market policies matter? }} * {{cite journal |last=Andersson |first=Hans |date=2016 |title=Liberal Intergovernmentalism, spillover and supranational immigration policy |journal=Cooperation and Conflict |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=38–54 |doi= 10.1177/0010836715597945|s2cid=143089205 }} * {{cite journal |last= Weber |first= Hannes |date=2015 |title=National and regional proportion of immigrants and perceived threat of immigration: A three-level analysis in Western Europe |journal= International Journal of Comparative Sociology |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages= 116–140|doi= 10.1177/0020715215571950|s2cid= 154496672 }} * {{cite journal |last= Lozano |first=AA | display-authors=etal |title= Revisiting the European Union framework on immigrant integration: The European integration forum as a technology of agency |journal= Ethnicities |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages= 556–576 |doi=10.1177/1468796814528692 |year=2014 |s2cid=147045313 }} * {{cite book |first=Sasha |last=Polakow-Suransky |title=Go Back to Where You Came From: The Backlash Against Immigration and the Fate of Western Democracy |year=2017 |publisher=Bold Type Books |isbn=978-1568585925}}
===Media publications=== *{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/eu-wants-to-repatriate-illegal-bangladeshi-immigrants/3271523.html|title=EU Wants to Repatriate 80,000 Illegal Bangladeshi Immigrants|work=Maaz Hussain|date=6 April 2016|publisher=Voa News|access-date=30 May 2023|archive-date=30 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530231212/https://www.voanews.com/a/eu-wants-to-repatriate-illegal-bangladeshi-immigrants/3271523.html|url-status=live}} {{refend}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Wikiquote}} * [http://frontex.europa.eu/trends-and-routes/migratory-routes-map/ Main migratory routes into the EU] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602065333/http://www.frontex.europa.eu/trends-and-routes/migratory-routes-map |date=2 June 2013 }}, updated by [[Frontex]] * [http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php Sea arrivals to Southern Europe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321204604/http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/regional.php |date=21 March 2016 }}, updated by [[UNHCR]] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150908133013/http://missingmigrants.iom.int/en/ Missing migrants project], data on arrivals by sea and fatalities by [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]] * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34131911 BBC News, EU migration: Crisis in graphics], 18 February 2016 * [http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/15/migrants/index.html Europe's migration crisis], graphics by [[Reuters]] * [http://www.lucify.com/the-flow-towards-europe/ Interactive map and graphic showing the flow of asylum seekers to European countries over time] * [http://www.cfr.org/migration/europes-migration-crisis/p32874 Europe's Migration Crisis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923124955/http://www.cfr.org/migration/europes-migration-crisis/p32874 |date=23 September 2015 }}, backgrounder by the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] * [http://www.mapreport.com/countries/european_migrant_crisis.html European Migrant Crisis Timeline] * [https://www.business-of-migration.com/migration-today/europe-s-refugee-conundrums/ Europe's Refugee Conundrums] * [http://www.refugeeroads.com Refugee Roads – Documenting a bicycle tour along the Balkan route] * [https://www.thenation.com/article/europes-refugee-crisis-was-made-in-america/ Europe's Refugee Crisis Was Made in America] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622043105/https://www.thenation.com/article/europes-refugee-crisis-was-made-in-america/ |date=22 June 2019 }}
{{European migrant crisis}} {{Europe topic|Refugees in}} {{Syrian Civil War}}
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