Prague, Feb 3 (CTK) – The intensity of the migrant wave in 2016 will depend on Europe’s capability of toughening and observing its refugee acceptance rules, according to the European Values Czech think-tank, its director Radek Hokovsky said at a presentation of two studies based on migrant data for 2015.
Political decisions may influence the numbers of immigrants to an extent involving hundreds of thousands of people, Hokovsky said.
Hokovsky assessed the results of the surveys the United Nations and other organisations conducted among the Syrian refugees who came to Europe in the first half of 2015.
It ensued from them that almost 60 percent of Syrians decided not to stay in some of the transit countries because they saw a higher chance to gain a job, education and asylum elsewhere.
In choosing their country of destination, they were also strongly motivated by the level of the rights and welfare support for refugees.
Hokovsky said the motivation of those setting out for Europe, the conditions that make them do so and the opportunities they seek, all are the results of concrete political decisions.
If Europe’s migration policy keeps soft like until now, up to 1.5 million people can be expected to set out for Europe this year, according to the EC’s estimates, Hokovsky said.
Any change to the asylum policy by European politicians means that these estimates could move hundreds of thousands up- or downwards, Hokovsky said.
