Children walk around the refugee camps in the border area of north Greece on May 14 (XINHUA/AP)

Turmoil in large swathes of the Middle East and North Africa has caused a mass exodus of people desperate to reach safer countries in Europe. The refugee crisis currently engulfing the European continent has led to a controversial deal with Turkey, potentially tarnishing the EU's image as a "bastion of human rights."

Central to this is the UN 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees. The document unequivocally outlined the principles of non-refoulement: "No Contracting State shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion."

Nonetheless, the EU-Turkey Agreement set out on March 18 states, "All new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands as from March 20 will be returned to Turkey," and that "For every Syrian being returned to Turkey from the Greek islands, another (Syrian) will be resettled in the EU."

The deal has been put in place in order to try and stem the flow of refugees entering Europe. Other elements of the deal include speeding up the visa process for Turks wishing to enter the EU, reconsidering the country's EU membership and offering 6 billion euros ($6.78 billion) worth of financial assistance to Ankara to help support the nation's burgeoning refugee population.

"This will take place in full accordance with EU and international law, thus excluding any kind of collective expulsion," claims the agreement.

At the EU headquarters in Brussels, leaders from the 28 member states reach an agreement on a potential deal with Turkey on March 17 (XINHUA)

Turkish delight?

On April 23, a few weeks after the reciprocal elements had been implemented, European Council President Donald Tusk backed the initial results of the deal on a visit to Turkey, "We have seen a sharp reduction of the illegal migrant flows." He also praised the Turkish Government as "the best example in the world on how to treat refugees."

However, several human rights groups have slammed the agreement even before it came into effect. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in May described it as "a historic abdication" of Europe's moral and legal responsibilities. "This deal is sending a troubling signal to the rest of the world: Countries can buy their way out of providing asylum," MSF President Joanne Liu said in an open letter to EU leaders.

The issue is complex and can be interpreted from various angles, though it's difficult to ignore the criticism. Turkey's alleged treatment of its refugees and whether it endangers them are critical factors in assessing the legality of the deal. Another issue to consider is whether or not those displaced would have the same living standards in Turkey as they would in Europe.

Zhao Chen, an associate professor of European studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Beijing Review, "The EU has very high standards for treating refugees. Germany, for example, gives them food and shelter and covers their cost of living." In contrast, Zhao said, "In Turkey, although refugees have more freedom to settle, they are expected to look after themselves, rarely receiving help from the government."

He added, "Turkey has already received more than 3 million Syrian refugees, but only some stay in refugee camps, while the majority are scattered throughout the country." According to Zhao, Turkey has demonstrated that it is more capable than some European countries in terms of accepting refugees. By sheer numbers, it has resettled more people than the whole of the EU.

European strain

Much of the upheaval has been catalyzed by the actions of the so-called "Islamic State" militant group (ISIS). Their land grab in north Iraq and Syria in 2014 helped plunge the volatile region into further chaos, spurring a mass evacuation toward Europe. The group has claimed credit for the notorious terrorist attacks in European cities—Paris, Brussels and Istanbul—as well as other places in Asia and Africa.

The reasons behind the rise of ISIS are multifaceted, and the debate still rages on the role the religion of Islam plays within the organization, though the effects on migration are simpler to analyze.

The influx of so many people into Europe has stretched regional resources and exacerbated inter-state tensions. Furthermore, the distribution of refugees is vastly unequal across the continent. According to Eurostat, a branch of the European Commission responsible for providing statistics to the EU, Germany's share of first-time asylum applicants in 2015 was 442,000, 35 percent of the EU total. In comparison, the shares of France and Italy were merely 5.6 and 6.6 percent respectively, while the UK's was even less.

Although Germany is the most populous EU state and host to the largest economy in the union, France, the UK and Italy also have substantial populations by European standards. Yet Germany has provided for more than double the number of refugees taken in by these three nations combined. This has consequently been a source of contention amongst Germans, many of whom claim that other EU nations should increase their support.

Birgit Gatz, Mayor of Tiefenbach in south Germany and responsible for the resettlement of 32 refugees in the town, told Beijing Review that when German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "'We can do this,' she was referring to the whole European continent, not Germany as a single country, so that was poor judgment." According to Gatz, "Germany couldn't deal with the magnitude of refugee flows that came after Merkel's statement."

"We only managed thanks to many volunteers and a lot of money being spent. Tension has risen, particularly in areas where the general level of education is relatively low and in east Germany, where multiple attacks were made on refugee accommodation. It has also helped far-right parties gain political strength here, such as the AfD (Alternative for Germany)."

Her daughter, Laura Gatz, said, "I think it was the right decision from a human perspective, and if more [European] countries followed this attitude, the whole crisis might have worked out a bit differently."

Laura Gatz added that Merkel was too idealistic at first. "The infrastructure was not set up to deal with the number of people who came, and it was a real mess for local institutions, but overall, Merkel's response was very good."

Reconciling the idealism that underpins the desire to assist asylum seekers and the realism needed to do so without threatening Germany's social fabric is proving to be a tough challenge. Yet, forcing more countries to shoulder a greater share of the responsibility is equally problematic.

Conundrum

Amongst the widespread violence and tension, the tragic plight of human victims is often forgotten. On April 17, another boat crammed with refugees making the perilous trip from Libya to Greece sank, leaving an estimated 500 people dead. The refugees' willingness to undertake such a harsh journey underscores their desperation, as innocent people are regularly caught up in the brutality and harshness contaminating their homelands.

Perennial intervention by Western countries in the region has arguably contributed to this dismal state of affairs by further destabilizing fragile states, as demonstrated by the outcome of the Iraq invasion in 2003 and the interference in Libya during 2011.

However, there is no clear-cut way to solve this predicament. Resources are finite and border controls play an important role in maintaining order. Zhao summarized the EU-Turkey agreement as "a compromise for both sides. It is the only solution European nations have found to effectively deal with the refugee crisis, though they have tried many other ways—the result is unpredictable."

This conundrum requires a substantial effort and support from political, economic, social and humanitarian perspectives. While the exceptional situation has led to an unprecedented deal between Turkey and the EU, whether or not it is successful remains to be seen.

Copyedited by Bryan Michael Galvan

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