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Italy Seeks Solution to Migrant Deaths

At least 5,000 migrants floating in overcrowded boats have been rescued off the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea since Thursday, June 5. Varying reports have indicated a range of 5,200-5,470 people having been rescued so far. As a result of this most recent rescue effort, the total amount of migrants that have reached Italy from North Africa has exceeded 50,000 in 2014.

The most recent rescue effort has been spearheaded by one operation led by the Italian government, called Mare Nostrum. This operation has been in effect since October 2013, and was launched in response to 366 migrants drowning after their boat collapsed just off the shore of Sicily. That disaster not only spawned Mare Nostrum into being, but also prompted a one-off response from the EU in the form of a $30 million euro emergency fund that focused on land facilities.

Ever since that initial disaster and relief fund, Italy has been repeatedly asking for more help from the EU, with very little, if any, response. This is highlighted by the fact that only Slovenia offered one ship for the span of two months last year, and that a U.S. Navy ship and a Maltese merchant vessel rescued a combined 307 migrants in the most recent event on June 5.

This most recent event is only another vivid example of the continuing problem of migrants risking their lives to flee North Africa in the hopes of a better future in Europe. This past May, an unknown number of migrants died and 17 bodies were recovered after a similar shipwreck occurred. Throughout 2013, at least 40,000 migrants landed in Italy, and this year is on track to top the record of 62,000 set in 2011 during the Arab Spring revolutions.

The Director General of International Organization for Migration, William Lacey Swing, recently released a statement trying to utilize this incident as a means to raise awareness and take action on this recurring problem. “The tragedy of migrants drowning at sea is unfortunately a global phenomenon, not just a Mediterranean emergency,” Swing said. “The unnecessary deaths of these migrants and asylum seekers is an affront to all civilized nations.”

Swing went on to state that “the international community must develop a more comprehensive approach to protect migrants and uphold human dignity. No single action is enough to address the root causes of these mixed migration flows, but lives will be saved if action is taken now to help both migrants and countries during the entire length of the migratory route.”

The International Organization for Migration has since called for a high level debate on migratory flows in the hopes of bringing together nations of destination and origin. As Swing put it: “We need to urgently look at a comprehensive range of actions that we can take together to prevent further loss of life. These include the enhancement of legal avenues for migrants seeking better prospects in Europe and the establishment of various mechanisms and measures in countries of transit in North Africa to provide migrants and asylum seekers in need of protection with opportunities to receive legal counseling.”

With any luck this most recent occurrence will cause more nations to pay attention and provide a sustainable solution to the ever-present issue of migrants attempting to leave their home countries to find a better future elsewhere.

– Andre Gobbo

Sources: International Organization for Migration, Reuters, HUffPost

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High Childcare Costs in Ireland Cripple Economy

One-third of Irish children are at risk of living in poverty, and many are claiming that high childcare costs in Ireland is one of the reasons.

Childcare costs in Ireland are an outlier compared to the European Union’s average, taking up around 40 percent of the average wage, as opposed to 12 percent in Europe. High childcare costs are very detrimental to the more than 750,000 people living in poverty.

According to a report by the European Commission, which was designed to guild the Irish Government’s budget for 2015, the limited availability of childcare benefits means that parents bear almost the entire cost directly, unlike most other EU countries where childcare benefits are significant.

The report went on to state that the lack of childcare made it difficult for women and single parents to gain employment, thus leaving them without a way to improve their economic situation.

“Child poverty is a specific concern in Ireland and Britain,” said Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor, “along with inequality, poverty and social inclusion.”

The report recommended changes to the social welfare system, including cutting off payments for a period of nine weeks if a recipient refuses to take a job offer or take part in a training course.

A report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that in 2012, 756,591 people were living in poverty. Included in those numbers were 68,740 people over the age of 65 and 220,411 people under the age of 18, only highlighting the effects of a five-year recession on the population.

“The CSO employment data shows that the much talked about 1,00o extra jobs a week has slowed to little more than 1,000 jobs a quarter,” said Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath. “We have lost 5,000 jobs in the retail sector in the last three months and the domestic economy remains on the floor.”

Between 2007 and 2012, the number of people in Ireland living in poverty almost doubled, growing from 4.2 percent of the population to 7.7 percent. The number of people who were unable to afford new clothing increased from 5.2 percent in 2007 to 10.4 percent in 2012, the number of people unable to replace old furniture increased from 13.8 percent to 24.5 percent and the number of people who went without heating at some point in the past year went from 6 percent to 12.9 percent.

“The report highlights the critical importance of the social welfare safety net,” said Social Protection Minister Joan Burton, “namely jobseeker allowance, child benefit and state pension payments in protecting people against poverty.”

A new study from the Central Statistics Office shows that, while Ireland’s poverty line is shrinking, the number of people living in poverty has continued to grow. The study also showed that the annual income per household dropped by 5 percent and that there was an increase in income inequality. Those who live in the highest income bracket made five and a half times the amount made by those in the lowest income bracket.

“The report reflects that many of the actions in Ireland’s austerity program are ongoing,” said Economics Commissioner Olli Rehn, “but [they] need to be ended.”

– Monica Newell

Sources: Irish Examiner
Photo: The Guardian

Europe’s Growing Poverty Crisis

poverty crisis
The financial crisis of 2007-2008 was one of the worst financial crises since The Great Depression of the 1930’s. It has had huge ramifications on every piece of the world’s economy and way of doing business. The bailout of Europe’s economy and banking system did its intended job and stabilized Europe’s markets. However, an Oxfam report put out in 2013 has laid out the far reaching implications of the severe cutbacks that saved Europe’s economy at risk of jeopardizing the livelihoods of  millions upon millions of European families.

The Oxfam report “A Cautionary Tale” lays out the troubling details of the austerity programs that have been rolled out across Europe in response to the financial crisis and how they are taking Europe two steps backward instead of ensuring the stability and security of both Europe’s economy and its citizens. Oxfam’s report states that by 2025 there will be upwards of 15 to 25 million additional Europeans threatened by the specter of poverty if the measures that are currently in place are not seriously examined by the governments of Europe.

The reports also note that the amount of public spending that was cut from 2010 to 2014 will greatly decrease the amount of public sector jobs across Europe; 40 percent of Ireland’s GDP, 20 percent in the Baltic States, 12 percent in Spain and 11.5 percent in the U.K.. The report cites that due to these public spending cuts, in the United Kingdom alone 1.1 million jobs will be cut between 2010 and 2018. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) cites France as an example of the growing poverty crisis in Europe. According to the IFRC, an additional 350,000 people in France have fallen below the poverty line since 2009. In just under 4 years in France, that is almost 90,000 people.

The conundrum at play here is how does Europe go about ensuring that its economy continues to recover from the poverty crisis, while at the same time keeping poverty from consuming its citizens. The dangers of income inequality are also something that not only European nations but indeed all the nations of the world must work diligently to lessen, or otherwise risk another global financial collapse. Oxfam’s report lays out the detailed analyses of how this would occur. Increased income inequality in countries who are still recovering from the global financial crisis and long term periods of income inequality in countries lead to the sort of  high rate high risk borrowing done by those who are more than likely not going to be able to pay these loan back to the banks. These sorts of inappropriate financial transactions greatly contributed to the financial crises that occurred in 2007 and 2008.

Governments will always cut costs in some fashion; it has come to be part of the current political climate. It is easy to slash spending for programs that are not perceived as essential for the immediate running of national affairs. However if Europe’s leaders do not monitor the situation, they could potentially set Europe’s recovery back by almost a decade according to Oxfam’s findings. Real wages in the United Kingdom and Portugal have dropped to 3.2 percent, which have set the value of wages in the United Kingdom to 2003 prices.

The leaders of the world’s nations that were hardest hit by the financial crisis have done a remarkable job in swooping in and preventing the total collapse of many of the world leading national economies. However if the current cost cutting measures that are in place which are supposed to be helping to push countries in the right direction are not seriously examined and examined soon, Europe faces serious implications for the future.

–Arthur Fuller

Sources: Oxfam, IFRC, The New York Times, CNBC
Photo: Europe Direct Leeds

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Fortress Europe: Ceuta and Melilla

Ceuta_Melilla_Border
The term Fortress Europe refers to the European Union’s obstructive policies towards immigrants. It is a term that critics employ to highlight many member states’ reluctance and outright unwillingness to welcome migrants seeking a better life within the European Union.

Nowhere is this Euro-jargon more literal in than the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa. These two cities are where the E.U. borders the African; the cities are located only a few yards apart, they are also where modern day fortresses have been erected.

Heavily patrolled and surrounded with three rows of 20-foot-high barbed wire fences and infrared cameras, the borders of Ceuta and Melilla bare resemblances to the Berlin Wall. In 2005, 11,000 Africans forced their way across the borders in hope of entering the E.U. via Spain since these two cities are politically European despite not being on the continent.

Since then, the Spanish government has invested heavily in fortifying the EU’s southern most land frontiers (more than 30 million Euros, or approximately $41,238,000.)

In 2010, these two enclaves, both relying on resources from their immediate neighbor, Morocco, caused a political ruffling when the Moroccan government accused Spain of racism and boycotted produces going into the two Spanish territories.

What is the most direct effect of these European fortresses in Africa? Since the revamp of the fences, immigrants—many being refugees—have to cross into Europe via the Mediterranean, often in makeshift and unseaworthy boats.

The Arab Spring that sprung across North Africa and into the Levant unleashed waves of asylum seekers and refugees dire to get into the E.U. However, due to the difficulties of crossing into these two enclaves people have been going via the sea to reach another nearby EU territory—the Italian island of Lampedusa. These journeys frequently prove to be perilous.

A Syrian refugee and his family who had traveled through five countries with six forged passport across the Levant and North Africa hoping entering Europe via Melilla claims this European fortress is nothing less than an open-air prison.

Not only is the condition inside the refugee camp less than optimal, in February, Spain took the decision to close the border of Melilla after a group of around 200 to 300 Syrian refugees tried to enter.

After the Moroccan authorities warned the Spanish authorities of the presence of “uncontrolled people,” the gates of Europe quickly flung closed before these desperate people who found themselves stranded in Moroccan territory. Earlier in February, at least 12 people died outside of Ceuta’s fences; 23 others were handed to the Moroccan authorities to be returned to Syria, a human right violation and a contradiction of the terms laid out in the Convention for Refugees of 1951.

If the E.U. would like to live up to the terms set out in the Europe Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe and other treaties and conventions to which it and its member states are party, the unofficial Fortress Europe policies of its frontier member states must not continue. These policies are unjustifiable disregard of ongoing ordeals that many refugees are facing in their homeland as well as the value of their lives.

– Peewara Sapsuwan

Sources: CEA(R), 20 Minutos, Spiegel Online International, Reuters
Photo: 20 Minutos

Kerry-Lavrov Verbal Jousting on Ukraine’s Future

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United States Secretary of State John Kerry strongly defended Ukraine’s right to align with Europe on February 1, as the chief American diplomat and his Russian counterpart engaged in a public war of words over whether Kiev’s future lies with Moscow or the West.

The verbal jousting match between Kerry and Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, comes as thousands of protesters continue to occupy buildings in Ukraine’s capital, demanding that their country’s pro-Russian president keep Kiev out of Moscow’s orbit.

The protesters have been camped out in the Ukrainian capital since late November, when Ukraine’s council of ministers issued a decree ordering the government to halt preparations for signing a long-planned political and free trade accord with the European Union.

The Association Agreement, which had been scheduled to be signed at the November 28-29 Eastern Partnership summit between the European Union and five former Soviet Republics, would have incorporated Ukraine into the E.U.’s common market and put Kiev on a path to joining the 28-nation bloc.

In the lead up to the Ukrainian government’s decision to reverse course and not sign the pact, which had been years in the making, Kiev came under substantial pressure from Moscow, which wants Ukraine to join a rival Russian-led customs union instead.

For a week in mid-August,  virtually no exports from Ukraine were allowed to enter Russia, as Russian customs officials began subjecting Ukrainian imports to unusually long and time-consuming inspections, blocking them from crossing the border into Russia.  An adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin commented at the time that the stepped up inspections were a test of the customs procedures that Moscow would apply to Ukrainian imports if Kiev took the “suicidal step” of signing the accord with the E.U.

Russia’s virtual trade embargo on goods entering the country from Ukraine was a preceded by a measure in late July that banned imports of products manufactured by Rosen, a Ukrainian confectionary company owned by Petro Poroshenko, a wealthy Ukrainian businessman and former government minister who has strongly supported Kiev’s efforts to integrate into the 28-nation bloc.

The Ukrainian governments decision to abandon the Association Agreement with the E.U. in late November was followed by a December 17 announcement that Russia had agreed to purchase $15 billion of Ukraine’s sovereign bonds and would lower the price that Kiev pays for Russian gas from around $400 per thousand cubic meters to $268.50.

The announcement that Russia would extend financial lifelines to Ukraine’s moribund economy followed a meeting the same day between Victor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s Moscow-friendly president, and Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart.

On February 1, Kerry launched a thinly-veiled verbal broadside at Russia, criticizing Moscow for its coercive efforts to prevent Ukraine from drawing closer to the EU. “Their futures do not have to lie with one country alone, and certainly not coerced,” the chief U.S. diplomat said in a speech at an annual foreign policy conference in the German city of Munich.

Lavrov, Kerry’s Russian counterpart, delivered a speech in which he criticized Europe and Washington’s failure to condemn Ukraine’s opposition, which has occupied numerous government buildings in Kiev and in regional capitals across the country.  “What does incitement of violent street protests have to do with the promotion of democracy? Why do we not hear condemnation of those who seize government buildings and attack police and use racist, anti-Semitic and Nazi slogans?”

– Eric Erdahl

Sources: BBC, Alert Issue European Union Institute for Security Studies, The New York Times World News, The New York Times
Photo: The Blade

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Health Inequality in Europe

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A new report from the European Union illuminates the staggering cost of untreated illness among Europe’s most poor. The report estimates that trillions of dollars a year are lost due to what it calls “health inequalities.”

As reported by The Guardian, the study shows that many avoidable costs are incurred as a result of sick individuals leaving the workforce due to illness or death. The loss of productivity alone may cause trillion dollar losses throughout the E.U.

Granted that these costs and conditions (along with other economic factors) vary widely from nation to nation in the E.U., the report signals a need for shared responsibility in dealing with public health.

From west to east, Europe has an obvious incline in disease and mortality. Many eastern European states report annual mortality rate that are nearly double that of the lowest western states. The fault line between the two halves of Europe appears to be primarily economic—a divide between rich and poor.

The report points to poverty as the central association to these varied health outcomes. The report claims to have “found many examples of associations between risk factors for health, including tobacco use and obesity, and socio-economic circumstances.”

A lack of education, employment, and social safety nets also help to account for a fairly substantial disparity between member states. The report, therefore, calls for broad, systemic changes for many nations. The solution has to be delivered on several fronts if the less fortunate states are to see positive change. Additionally, they are not likely to be able to accomplish these goals in the short term without significant aid from wealthier member states.

In the end, the report looks to put this issue in the public interest by appealing to economic consequences of allowing such inequality to exist. Further, it argues that these inequalities are mostly avoidable. In other words, something can be done on the part of member states to ensure the well being of the most poor.

– Chase Colton

Sources: The Guardian, EU
Photo: Shared Justice

Unrest in Ukraine

At the end of November, an estimated 100,000 demonstrators rallied at Kiev Square in the Ukraine to protest President Viktor F. Yanukovich’s decision to reject long-planned trade agreements with the European Union.

Four years in the making, the trade agreements would have brought Ukraine within the EU’s trade bloc, a crucial step in obtaining EU membership. Such an agreement would have fostered Western political and economic sensibilities as well as making the International Monetary Fund available to the Ukraine. The EU is also in talks with Georgia and Moldova as part of its “Eastern Partnership” plan, a mission to bring in former Soviet Union countries into the EU, although Ukraine was seen as the most significant of all three.

For the moment, the agreements remain in purgatory and will most likely not come to pass. President Yanukovich continues to unsuccessfully assuage the EU and his constituents with grandiose talk of possible future trade agreements with the EU, but the public remains doubtful.

Other tenets of the agreement include the release of jailed Ukranian former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. According to the BBC, Tymoshenko was imprisoned in 2011 for seven years after being contentiously convicted of abusing power over a gas deal with Russia.

For now, Russia seems eager to fill in the gap the EU’s departure left behind. Fearing an Eastern spread of Western Civilization, Russian president Vladimir Putin has been urging Ukraine officials to reject trade agreements with the EU and instead consider a trade bloc with Eurasian countries.

Russia’s influence was a key factor in the Ukranian government’s decision to freeze the EU agreement, for both political and economic reasons. Much of Yanukovich’s voter base hails from the pro-Russia part of the country, an important consideration for the up-coming 2015 election, and the Ukraine may fear further trade restrictions from Russia such as its curb of gas in 2009.

Since the dissolution of the USSR, Ukraine has had an unsteady relationship with democracy as wide-scale corruption remained a prevalent force in the country until 2004 when the Orange Revolution took place. The largest peaceful mass protest in the Ukraine of its kind until that time, the protesters secured the overturning of the results of a rigged presidential election. Their efforts established internationally monitored vote that ushered in a new reformist government.

Current protests are the largest in the country since the Orange Revolution, and continue to be supported on a mass scale, including three former presidents of the Ukraine.

– Emily Bajet

Sources: NY Times 1, 2, BBC 1, 2, CIA
Photo: The Guardian

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EU Fights Against AIDS in Eastern Europe

eastern-europe-fight-aids
For the last decade, the European Union (EU) and other organizations and coalitions like the United Nations (UN) have delivered significant results in treating and preventing AIDS-related illnesses in the developing world. For example, according to the World Health Organization, (WHO) deaths from AIDS in Ethiopia have decreased by over 45%. In countries like Zimbabwe and Botswana, this number is over 60%.

Unfortunately, over the same timespan, there has been a considerate increase in the rate of deaths from AIDS in Eastern Europe. Even though the number of cases of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe is lower than in African nations, any percentage increase is great cause for concern. As a result, many are urging the European Union to review their objectives and to improve treatment and prevention of this disease in not only developing countries, but Eastern Europe as well.

In Ukraine, there has been a 144% increase in the number of AIDS-related deaths, and in Belarus, it was an 1100% increase. These startling statistics have led many to criticize the European Union in their decision to concentrate funding for response to HIV/AIDS in developing countries instead of Eastern European nations. The majority of EU funding for the treatment and prevention of AIDS currently goes to developing countries.

Due to the rise in infections of AIDS in European Nations over the last decade, however, various organizations are placing pressure on the European Nation to review the appropriation of funding that goes to fight this disease, especially in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia.

In addition to inadequate funding for middle-income countries like Ukraine for HIV/AIDS response, there exist many problems in directly dealing with this increasing disease crisis. Many of these countries have religious taboos of HIV, since many times people relate sexually transmitted diseases to promiscuous sexual practices. In addition to this stigmatization, since many cases of disease transmissions are due to unsafe drug use and needle sharing, the government will have to exhibit courage and make a stance in supporting sterile needle programs for drug users. This type of support is unheard of in many religiously conservative countries.

Many affirm that it is important for the European Union to recognize that it is also important to invest in middle-income countries, because they also struggle with infectious diseases like those in developing countries. The stigma and discrimination that the people living in Eastern Europe face may even make it harder for them to receive treatment. Nevertheless, the increase in HIV transmissions in any part of the world is unacceptable as the international community attempts to treat, prevent, and cure HIV/AIDS and many other diseases in the world.

– Rahul Shah

Sources: PANCAP, EurActiv
Photo: IPS

Fijian Exports Seeking New Markets

Fijian Exports Seeking New MarketsFor many Pacific Island Countries, a huge factor in their economic survival and competitiveness is their agricultural exports. In Fiji, aid coming in from the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand has significantly helped farmers and other agricultural workers to either maintain or boost their production and business outreach into various markets. Recently, however, there has been a stalemate for the Fiji Export Council (FEC) in making sure this sector that employs 60-70 percent of Fijian is able to reach its full potential.

There are many different types of funding that sometimes go unnoticed by farmers and those in the industry that could make the difference in breaking even or making a profit. These funds can be put towards something as simple as buying new equipment or even helping advertise a company’s products to markets outside of the general PIC area.

Programs have been created over the past two years whose focus has been specifically on working with distributors to bypass certain export regulations that have inhibited them from selling their products in different markets. Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA), funded by the Australian government, helps target specific markets for high-value Fijian goods. Through collaboration with government agencies, PHAMA tries to help in the application process and a basic understanding of the different rules and regulations Fijian companies must by-pass to sell their goods.

Increasing Agricultural Commodity Trade (IACT) is similar to PHAMA in its goal to increase exports, however, it works with other PIC such as the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, among others.

Having the financial support and involvement of Australia and New Zealand as well as the EU is important to minimize the distance that money and information have to travel to Fiji and other PICs. Eliminating a huge geographical distance allows the Fijian agricultural sector and its various workers to operate faster and have greater transparency.

Although the FEC is focusing on its agricultural sector which employs so many people, it may also be wise to shift some of their energy into revamping their tourism, as this is their second-biggest source of revenue aside from sugar export. For island countries, tourism provides a high number of jobs and has the ability to completely transform the economy; a major revitalization project currently being undertaken by another island country, Haiti.

– Deena Dulgerian

Source: Fiji Times