Europe's Fascination with Fences

The E.U. is struggling with a refugee crisis and threatens to close its gates.

- Juda Jelinek

This summer is set to bring record heat to Europe and record numbers of refugees to its borders, desperately trying to claim asylum. Repression and conflict in the Middle East and Africa continue to drive the largest wave of mass migration since the Second World War, and European countries are struggling to deal with the growing numbers of refugees. The European Union has long grappled with asylum-seekers from across the Mediterranean, but it is now facing the reality of its porous land border in the Balkans. The result may be a fence that stretches from the Black Sea to the Aegean and another across the south of Hungary.

This spring, the E.U. had to rethink its policy on the Mediterranean. A lapse in rescue efforts that coincided with increased migration from North Africa made this year the deadliest on record for migrants attempting the sea crossing. Patrol efforts have now been renewed, and instead of a policy of discouragement, the E.U. has committed to resettling 40,000 asylum seekers throughout Europe in order to ease the burden on Greece and Italy, where most have landed.