Separate settlements for refugees, will be like a 'nuclear bomb' of unrest waiting to explode

Brussels: ‘The social integration of the refugees entering into Europe with the local population, will be a very important concern in the coming times. If the European countries create independent and separate settlements for these refugees, it could become a nuclear bomb of unrest waiting to explode’, was the blunt warning issued by Corina Cretu, the Regional Policy Commissioner of the European Union. Cretu was speaking at the ‘World Urban Forum’ meeting, held in Kuala Lumpur.

The European Union has made a provision of $ 428 billion for the integration of the refugees. Most of the amount will be spent in the Northern and Southern European countries. The investment in this has increased in the past few years but, the project has failed to progress beyond creating the basic infrastructural facilities, criticised Cretu. The ‘Regional Policy Commissioner’ expressed regret over the fact that people, even today, are losing lives due to the neglect towards basic needs like unavailability of clean water, while work for development of traditional infrastructural facilities is underway.

In the last few days, there were incidences of violence in Italy and France’s areas called ‘Calais’ over the refugees’ issue. There were clashes in two groups in Calais city, resulting in many being injured. Whereas in Italy as white youth from an aggressive group attacked African refugees and injured many of them. There have been complaints from the local residents, consistently, about the refugees on one Greek Island. Therefore, the comparison of the refugee settlements with a ‘nuclear bomb‘, by a senior official like Cretu, draws attention.

The former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, only last week had warned that there are about 600,000 illegal refugees and these refugees are a ‘Social Time Bomb’ for the country. Seven important Mayors in France had referred to the influx of refugees consistently entering the country as a ‘Social Emergency’.

These aggressive and serious statements over the refugees’ issue, are a clear indication of the hardening stand of the major European countries. Country like Germany, which had invited the refugees, also is not an exception to this. A German government report had inferred that the crime rate in Germany is on the rise and the refugees coming from the African and the Gulf countries, were responsible for it.