Spiegel Online: EU Seeks to Ward Off New Refugee Crisis

European leaders value the Schengen zone for border-free travel, but recognize it will lose allure for citizens if external borders are not secure, reports a team from Spiegel Online. “Schengen, [Chancellor Angela Merkel] said, means that Germany's neighbors are no longer Austria or Poland, but Russia, Turkey and Libya,” notes the article. Europe has little control over so many countries in Africa, the Middle East and beyond with violent conflict and poverty, and yet remains a logical destination for migrants desperate for stability. Italian officials anticipate 250,000 migrants to attempt crossing the Mediterranean this summer, and Southeast Asians are joining the flow from Africa and the Middle East, with Bangladeshis representing the second largest group departing from Libya. The EU is developing emergency plans, but confronts a dilemma in that directing more aid toward Libya for camps increases the attraction of a Mediterranean crossing for refugees and ruthless smugglers. – YaleGlobal