(VOVworld) – One year since Germany and some EU countries decided to open their borders to take in migrants, the migration policy has had a sizable political impact. The EU has been struggling to relocate migrants in Italy and Greece to other countries. 

Migrants at a settlement in Lagadikia, Greece. (photo: AFP/VNA)

EU countries haven’t found a common perspective and plan of action to resolve the migration crisis, which has remained a pressing political issue in some countries, including Germany. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council said on September 4 that practical capability of Europe to host new waves of refugees was close to its limits.

Obstructing political career

The migrant crisis started when Syrian refugees were stranded Budapest’s main train station in Hungary in August 2015 attempting to depart for Germany and Austria. At first, Hungary prevented them from traveling, but finally “surrendered” to pressure from the biggest-ever migratory flow. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to take in these migrants had ignited flows of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East, particularly from Syria, to Germany and other EU countries. By the end of 2015, Germany had received 1.1 million migrants, excluding unregistered migrants, which was much bigger than the figure of 800,000 people predicted by the government. In the first half of this year, more than 200,000 asylum seekers were allowed to stay in Germany. German Minister of Home Affairs Thomas de Maiziere said the number of migrants in the first half of the year had reduced because of border closures along the Balkan refugee route and the enforcement of the EU-Turkey deal on migrants. But he was pessimistic that the deal would be maintained in the coming months.

The migrant issue would not have become a serious problem for Chancellor Angela Merkel if had been no disturbances or terrorist attacks caused by migrants. Merkel’s approval rate has declined and her Christian Democratic Union of Germany, CDU, ranked only third in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State vote on September 4.

The Alternative for Germany Party, AfD, which pursues a nationalist and anti-migrant policy, surpassed CDU for the first time, with around 21.9% of the vote. The rate of support for her migrant policy has dropped to 34%. Merkel’s migrant policy has caused division in Germany and will negatively impact her position in the parliamentary election in 2017.

Struggling to relocate migrants

Last year, the EU ratified an ambitious plan to relocate 160,000 migrants in Italy and Greece to other countries in 2 years. But until now only less than 3% of the migrants have been settled in other EU countries. On September 5 the European Council urged member countries to speed up the migrant resettlement plan. Austria, Hungary, and Poland have not accepted any migrant. EU countries’ commitment to support Greece in border control and processing asylum applications has not been fully implemented. Journalist Nikolaj Nielsen wrote on the euobserver.com website that the EU’s resettling activities had not reached set targets. Hungary has initiated a campaign to reject migrants prior to the referendum on EU migrant quotas on October 2. In Germany the AfD party defeated the ruling CDU party in a state election. In Austria, presidential candidate Norbert Hofer of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) may win the second round election on October 2, as he has continued to take the lead in public polls.

One year since the EU opened its border to migrants, member countries have been struggling with consequent problems. Policies and measures have been ineffective in resolving the political, social, and economic problems associated with the migrant issue.