Europe economy can benefit from refugee workforce : Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Pam Bailey, a Washington-based member of Euro Med Monitor Human Rights Monitor, to discuss a deal between Turkey and the European Union (EU) to control the flow of refugees to Europe.

Following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: What do you make of this new Turkish-EU deal that seems to be in the works?

Bailey: My concern is that there is a lot of talk about the self-interest of the countries involved. You know, Turkey is clearly doing this so it can get better terms in terms of entering the EU, in terms of getting better treatment for its residents.

I do not hear a lot of concern or talk even about the details of the Syrians and how they are going to fare and what their interests are. My concern would be just the process of bringing in what they call irregular migrants; these are individuals or families, taking them back, making them basically leave to go back to Turkey, I mean how is that going to be handled?

That opportunity would be rife with chances for mistreatment. Where are they going to be put? They can’t go back to Syria… so there is a lot of opportunity here for some real humanitarian concerns and I don’t see anybody talking about that.

Press TV: It is more of a concern first and foremost by the EU not to have more Syrians enter the continent and by Turkey, many would say, because one of the money that they have been given and two because of, as you said, the opportunities for entering the EU. What you think has to be done? Who should be monitoring now this situation?

Bailey: There really should be. What I see today is a bunch of individual countries who are all arguing their own point of view and they are each advocating their own position. There is not an overall body that is looking at it from a holistic point of view and not just from one country being concerned about their borders.

So in the ideal world, the Europe would agree to one body that would look at all aspects not only the concerns about the refugees but the opportunities; a lot of those countries in Europe by the way are suffering older populations, they are lacking a labor force and there are opportunities, there have been lots of studies that show that refugees could actually reinvigorate economies where Europe is lacking and no one is talking about that at all. It is all this fear, this reflexive fear.

So they need a more regional holistic conversation instead of everybody having this knee-jerk response about protecting their borders.

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