The current influx of asylum seekers, refugees, and economic migrants into Western Europe presents a profound challenge to the European Union’s values, solidarity, and capacity to simply manage and accommodate such a rapid inflow of people.
True, other countries and poorer regions have taken in more refugees. But Europe’s leaders will surely want the new arrivals to be fed, housed, educated, and ultimately integrated into European society in a manner that is similar to the indigenous population.
The experiences of countries such as France and Britain demonstrate just how difficult this process could be. Integrating large numbers of immigrants with different cultural values and capacities into an existent social order requires an immense, long-term effort and commitment of resources. Unfortunately, Sweden’s experience illustrates how even the most admirable of intentions can lead to the inadvertent creation of ghettos and an absence of social cohesion or common values.
