Mare nostrum = nostrum sepulcrum? The Mediterranean as a mass grave for migrants and the dilemma of European refugee policy On the current controversy about the new “boat people”

Abstract

The “Unwords of the Year” selected by a jury of German linguists (pushback, asylum tourism, anti-deportation industry, foreign domination) often refer to the ongoing controversies in Germany (but not only there) about migration and refugee policy. The word ‘pushback’, for example, describes the practice of turning back refugees at the borders or preventing their boats from landing. Against the backdrop of the European humanitarian crisis in the shadow of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the article discusses current positions in the debate on the integration of foreigners, namely from Africa, into Europe. What are the conditions for their successful immigration? What is the record of political (and financial) attempts to integrate foreigners socially, professionally and, above all, linguistically? How does restrictive practice (keywords: ‘Frontex’ or ‘Fortress Europe’) relate to the demographic desideratum of immigration in ageing societies? How does the increase in irregular immigration relate to the economy’s call for legal immigration? Since the number of African refugees will continue to increase in view of multiple, also ecological crises, my contribution pleads for new approaches to solving the problem of their integration into European societies. Based on an analysis of the causes of the current situation in 2022, the paper provides an overview of the facts and figures of migration policy with special reference to African refugees, their needs, their requirements and perspectives, prior to the new version of the Immigration Act targeted for 2023, leading to an interculturally sensitised plea for more language and vocational training both at home but also abroad.