Mending Europe’s Patchwork Migration Policy

Immigration is Europe’s most divisive issue. From Sweden to Italy, voters accuse mainstream political parties of failing to control the recent influx of refugees and other migrants. Their anger threatens the European Union’s commitment to the free movement of EU citizens, which stands alongside the free movement of capital, goods and services as a defining feature of the union. The Schengen agreement, which abolished passport and other controls at most internal borders, is also at risk.

The current patchwork of proposals won’t work. Europe needs a comprehensive plan, drawing on the effort and resources of all its members, concentrating on four areas: more effective controls at the EU’s external borders; new rules on asylum; new channels for legal immigration from outside the EU; and new measures to integrate migrants.