By Jordan Federer
The Numbers
After 2015, a year in which over one million refugees and
migrants traveled to the EU, 362,376
people arrived in 2016 by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. Of the 362,376 refugees
and migrants that arrived by sea in 2016, 48% entered through
Greece (Eastern
Mediterranean Route), 50% through Italy
(Central
Mediterranean Route), and 2% through Spain
(Western
Mediterranean Route). Once migrants and asylum-seekers entered the EU
through Greece, they tried to continue their journey towards Western Europe vis-à-vis
the Western Balkan Route (through Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, and Croatia).
Syrians,
Iraqis and Afghanis were the predominant nationalities of those that made
use of the Western Balkan Route. Overall, refugees and migrants traveled out of
the following
countries: Syria (23%), Afghanistan (12%), Nigeria (10%), Iraq (8%),
Eritrea (6%), Guinea (4%), Côte d’Ivoire (4%), The Gambia (4%), Pakistan (3%),
and Senegal (3%). In 2016, approximately 1,195,265 asylum
applications were filed and the top five nationalities
of asylum applications were Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Iran. The
top five destination
countries for asylum seekers were Germany, Italy, France, Greece, and the UK.
Approximately 56%
of first instance asylum applications received a positive decision. The United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Accommodation/Relocation Program
currently provides those whose applications either have not yet been reviewed
or those who have received a negative decision with temporary places to stay
either in “apartments,
hotel buildings, host families and relocation sites with services,” which
serve as alternatives to camps.
Events
In February and March of 2016, Macedonia
closed its border along the northern part of Greece. The move by Macedonia was
“part of a chain reaction” of border restrictions in both Slovenia and Serbia.
This coordinated effort resulted in the closure of the Western Balkan Route,
stranding thousands of migrants, mostly Syrian and Iraqi migrants, on the Greek
side of the border. In the same month, the
EU and Turkey executed a deal (The “EU-Turkey Statement”), in which “Ankara
would take
back all illegal migrants who cross to Greece, including Syrians, in return
for the EU taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and
rewarding it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU
membership negotiations.” The UNHCR argues that the EU-Turkey Statement’s
commitment to pushing refugees back into Turkey and Syria where they face
persecution is a
violation of the European Convention of Human Rights. Additionally, as a
result of the Balkan border closures and the implementation of the EU-Turkey
Statement, migrant
camps across Greece were turned into quasi-detention centers. Thousands of
people fleeing war torn countries such as Syria and Iraq found themselves at
the mercy of the Greek government and the EU-Turkey Statement’s directive. Organizations
such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Doctors Without Borders have
publicly
criticized the Greek government’s treatment of detained refugees and the
conditions as “inhumane” and “fetid.”
