The controversial influx of refugees into Europe is only the most recent of several major European migrations that have taken place during the 20th century. Over the past 15 years, Europe has experienced three: The first occurred between 2004 and 2007, when the European Union expanded to the east and workers from densely populated countries such as Poland and Romania could move to Western Europe more easily. The second big wave began in 2009, when the crisis in the European periphery forced workers to move to the Continent's economic core in search of jobs. The third and current wave comprises hundreds of thousands of people from the Middle East and other unstable areas trying to request asylum in Europe.
Each immigration wave has stirred political conflict. When countries from the former communist bloc joined the European Union in the mid-2000s, several governments temporarily restricted workers from the new member states from entering. In countries without immigration restrictions, political backlash followed. Then the second, periphery-to-core migration wave, while not particularly disruptive for the receiving countries, hurt countries such as Portugal, Spain and Greece as people went to work for companies in core countries like France and Germany.
The current migration crisis is substantially different. Most of the new migrants do not hold European passports, initially making it harder for them to find jobs. Many are Muslim, which makes them a target for far-right and nationalist groups that see them as a threat to European culture. Recent attacks on migrant shelters in eastern Germany and the electoral growth of anti-immigration parties, such as the Sweden Democrats, exemplify the kind of animosity many immigrants face in Europe. These migrants are also calling into question the entire EU immigration system as member states struggle to come up with a comprehensive solution to the crisis. Some may actually benefit from immigrant labor, which could help bolster their populations, while others are resistant to opening their borders to refugees. Varying perspectives on the issue have little to do with generosity; in the end, a nation's decision whether to reform its immigration policy comes down to its unique demographic challenges.
