The Calais problem calls for an immediate political response

Beyond the dreadful human dimensions, which are quiet visible as one watches the living conditions in the “Jungle Camp”, as the site is called, the Calais immigration crisis has a high economic cost and a strategic political impact.

On the economic side, one should keep in mind the importance of the Calais corridor. It is a vital exchange line between the UK and the European Continent. Last year, about 2.5 million vehicles crossed the Channel carrying goods back and forth. The current situation is causing a colossal trade loss to the British economy: about £ 250 million a day. This is huge figure at a time when economic recovery is still very fragile. Besides that, it is disrupting local movements of people and goods on both sides of the Channel.

At the political level, the crisis is damaging. It is not just a bloody nose on the British or French faces. It basically sends the message that Paris and London have no plan to deal with the situation. Sniffer dogs and additional fences are not the most effective responses. They just leave the issue unresolved. It writes on both political establishments a couple of very nasty words: incompetence and irresoluteness. And, in many ways, both governments give the impression that there is little coordination between them, besides some joint photo opportunities.

The problem will not fade away. It calls for decisive measures. The politicians must take their responsibilities and lead the way.

But they are not doing it. Thus, let me add a suggestion.

I see only one way forward: to legalise what is at present unlawful. In this case, both governments would implement a major police operation and round up the immigrants, all of them – nobody knows how many they are, but the accepted figure comes to around 3,000. Then, the authorities would take them to processing centres, to identify and summarily check their backgrounds. The following stage would be to give the vast majority of them permit papers and allow them to settle in. The UK would take the greater number and other countries would accept the balance. This option would show resoluteness combined with pragmatism and attention to social considerations and the economic consequences of the status quo. It should be combined with additional security measures aimed at slowing down future arrivals in the region. More specifically, the authorities would put across very clear messages stating that there is no way the illegal passage would be allowed. Those attempting to do it could be arrested and swiftly deported.

I have also looked at other options. But the above one stands out as the only sensible approach at this stage. Everything else is either to be blind to a major issue of great complexity or an attempt to transfer the problem to the neighbour. 

Illegal crossings and poor politics

The illegal crossing of the Mediterranean Sea by hundreds of African migrants is a daily occurrence. They sail off the Libyan coast and try to reach the Italian territory. But they have disappeared from the news. If one tries to read about these dramatic movements in any of the major European papers one just gets nowhere. The matter is being ignored anywhere outside Italy. And it has also disappeared from the discussions in the the EU fora. The issue, which is of course a common concern, is seen as an Italian matter. And then the Italians just let the migrants loose, in the hope they will move North and out of the country. Many of them will find indeed their way into the Calais area, in Northern France, just waiting for a chance to cross into the UK. Others will move into other EU countries. The issue is plainly out of control, all over the place, from the islands in Southern Italy to Brussels, London, Paris and elsewhere. Nobody cares. It is not in the news therefore does not exist...politically.