The Asylum Lottery

‘Political refugees have the right to asylum’, says the German constitution. A fine phrase, around which ever more restrictions and regulations are now springing up. This regulatory confusion is the symptom of a misguided refugee policy which rewards those who manage to cross Europe’s borders. Anyone who does not make it loses out. But Europe is not doing itself any favours by perpetuating this system. Using real case studies and statistical data, Ruud Koopmans explains why the current arrangement is hindering integration, posing a threat to domestic security, fuelling right-wing populism, dividing Europe and making us dependent on autocrats who open and close their borders with Europe at will. The so-called refugee crisis of 2015 is revealed to be a homegrown crisis in asylum policy. This lucid analysis, based on many years of research, ends with a pragmatic suggestion about how we can combine generous humanitarian asylum provision with measures to restrict illegal immigration. In this way we can both regain control and ensure that asylum policy does not remain a deadly lottery.

*Why the European asylum system is terminally ill:

-         It costs more lives than it saves

-         Only the strongest make it to Europe

-         Many people who are genuinely in need have no chance

-         Countries of first reception are left in the lurch

-         Integration is more difficult than first thought

-         It is fuelling right-wing populism

-         Europe is being divided, and is vulnerable to blackmail, by autocrats

*A fascinating proposal as to how things could be run differently

*What is going wrong with refugee policy, and how can we really help those in need?