Illegal migration

The immigrants coming from Africa and the Middle East threaten the European Union's social structure and living standards, said recently the British foreign secretary Philip Hammond, explaining that the European bloc does not have the capacity to receive millions of people who are looking for a better life.

Many are fleeing instability of the Middle East and Africa, trying to reach the European Union.

Some of the migrants try to reach Britain through the Channel Tunnel linking it to France.

The British foreign secretary said that Brussels has to solve this issue by repatriating the persons who do not have the right to seek for asylum.

European Union regulations allow immigrants to be confident enough that they will not be sent back to their countries of origin, Philip Hammond, quoted by the BBC, warned.

Last week the French and British officials said they were determined to cooperate in order to stop the wave of immigration, which they see as a top priority.

All the measures taken in this regard convey a very clear signal, they say, namely that borders are safe and the people who smuggle thousands of refugees into Europe are committing a criminal act.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Friday called on the French officials to present a "global" emergency plan meant to solve the immigrant crisis in Calais, a port in the north of France that has been flooded for several weeks by thousands of migrants trying to reach Britain.

Immigrants are also a problem for Italy and Greece, two other countries that can no longer cope with the high number of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.

A recent estimate by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees made public last Thursday, shows that more than 224,000 immigrants have reached Europe via the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of the year, of whom 98,000 reached Italy and 124,000 Greece.

During these dangerous boat trips over 2,100 people have lost their lives.

The European countries faced directly with the immigration wave have asked the other EU members to share the burden.

That is why, from Brussels's perspective, this issue should be solved at European level. All EU states should fight the smugglers' networks that endanger the lives of immigrants coming from northern Africa and should also show solidarity as regards the immigrants' relocation.

At the end of July, European countries, Romania included, agreed to temporarily take over a little more than 32,000 immigrants from outside the EU.

The issue of illegal migration has become a priority for the Union, the latest Euro barometer showing that immigration is the main concern for 38% of European citizens, 14% more than in 2014.

Immigration is now a bigger concern for Europeans than the economic crisis and unemployment, two issues that have dominated their agenda in previous years.