The citizens’ feedback on the EU management of the migration crisis

Abstract

The view of European citizens about the response of the EU to the immigration crisis is assessed in this paper by delving into Euro Barometer survey data. In the first sections, the analysis is framed by discussing the nature and causes of the present, mostly forced, migration flows, and the reasons why many Europeans want to keep the migrants out, despite the documented need of foreign workers. The remaining sections scan a set of Euro Barometer data to highlight the citizens’ concern with the migration issue and their reaction to the crisis management developed by the EU leaders in the past six years. The opinion of the citizens appears to be influenced by the convoluted negotiation of the common management, and to push the leaders towards immigration restrictions. In the early phases of the crisis, the EU governments contended about the management response, and the citizen concern grew considerably upward. In May 2016, in connection with the unanimous decision to fence the EU and the deal with the Turkish government, the concern of the citizens dropped. Additionally, the governments did not hide their choice to tailor the common management decisions to national standards and preferences. Accordingly, in the conclusion, this paper asserts that the double-way relationship between public opinion and policy-makers caused them to avoid solving the crisis by integrating the migrants into a society which would be able to, and is in need of, giving to the immigrants the job opportunities that are available in the European labor market, choosing instead to fence the EU.