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| 28 April, 19:02 |
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 German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the results of negotiations with the Prime Minister of Denmark Helle, Thorning-Schmitt in Copenhagen called on EU countries to introduce a fair quota to the reception of forced migrants.
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3 May, 18:43122
Concerned College Student
Although I understand Merkel?s frustration with the disproportionate influx of asylum seekers and immigrants entering into Europe through Germany, her proposed quota and relocation policy would be irrational and unethical. First, by refusing access to asylum-seekers and refugees, Germany is passing over a large pool of workers at a time of a high-skilled labor shortage in the country. According to Germany's Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW), every fifth asylum seeker had a university degree and every third came with qualifications equaling those of German skilled workers. Thus, if Merkel is going to revise the asylum/refugee process in any way, Germany should at least consider each applicant, perhaps offering select admittance to those with higher education or specialized degrees in order to counter the shortage. Additionally, this IW report touted that 13.4 million people in Germany will be pensioned off until 2035, but there are only 7.2 million young people to replace them. As such, Germany clearly needs as many immigrants as possible, regardless of their skill level, in order to counter the increasing dependency ratio and to maintain a competitive edge economically and technologically.
Second, this proposed system raises a few ethical concerns. Corruption will likely ensue with these potential immigrants bribing officials to let them in over others or potentially committing acts of violence against fellow refugees/asylum-seekers if the quota is nearly reached. Additionally, if a refugee/asylum-seeker does not have a say in which country they would like to be relocated to, they could simply become pawns of the German government without any personal agency. Moreover, by this promoting this xenophobic policy option, Merkel is tacitly acknowledging her support for the attacks taken by the neo-Nazi party against Islamic asylum-seekers and refugees and their abodes, according to an Economist report. Recently, the Pew Research Center has reported that more than five percent of Germany?s population is considered Muslim, with the number projected to grow in coming years. Thus, this proposed policy, which runs counter to Germany?s Willkommenskultur or welcoming culture, may indirectly perpetuate European xenophobia and encourage more violence against refugees/asylum-seekers and Muslims at a time when the country is increasingly becoming diverse. Indeed, this policy option should be seriously reconsidered.
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