The fate of so many refugees fleeing war and persecution is tragic. Those who survive the dangerous sea crossing to Europe are forced into overcrowded and undersupplied refugee camps or preyed upon by networks of organized crime.
These massive human waves have had a serious political and economic impact on European frontier countries like Greece and Italy, and put EU projects like the borderless Schengen zone under strain. Germany, Greece and Italy have absorbed the bulk of refugees. But this is not sustainable.
Radical parties and social violence are on the rise, and national economies are suffering. Society is becoming less patient and more intolerant. Central European countries have blatantly disregarded their responsibility to open their borders, instead imposing barriers and building fences. Europe has proven unable to develop a functional and fair refugee policy.
The shipping industry may be able to offer a solution to restore a sense of stability in Europe.
Those refugees whose claims are denied would be sent back to their country of origin straight from the ship.
Ship owners would rent standard container vessels to the EU, the U.N., Greece, Italy and any other country willing to pay a fair charter rate. The rented vessels would be repurposed to become floating refugee centers in international waters. Container vessels would be outfitted for living purposes and house refugees rescued from the high seas.
A mid-sized container ship can accommodate anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 refugees. With only 50 such vessels, we could create a floating refugee camp with an aggregate potential of about 150,000 refugees. The EU and the U.N. refugee agency could set up processing centers aboard these ships. Up to three operational rescue boats per vessel could also be provided to rescue migrants whose vessels capsize when attempting to make the sea crossing.
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The U.N. Convention on refugees guarantees people the right to seek asylum, which this idea respects. But because refugees could be processed on board, they would never technically land on European soil and their status would be determined by EU and U.N. authorities, rather than by local officials in Greece or Italy, who are more likely to deny or delay what otherwise may be legitimate asylum claims.
Those refugees whose claims are denied would be sent back to their country of origin straight from the ship.
The process of finding permanent housing for refugees could begin as soon as they board these vessels. Various other facilities could be on offer on these ships, such as psychological rehabilitation centers and language classes. In this way, refugees could begin the process of assimilation before they arrive on mainland Europe.
It’s a win-win solution. It ensures that proper and coordinated rescue operations are in place, and gives refugees access to a dignified asylum process that is not politicized and more quickly determines their true asylum prospects. Refugees would be cared for, rehabilitated, educated in a European language and culture, and safely transported to their final destination.
Southern European countries would also benefit from this buffer zone. Political pressure would ease, and the economic burden would decrease.
At the European level, this idea provides a structure for a safe, transparent and controlled processing of refugees. It allows for a better overview of who is arriving, where they’re coming from and under what circumstances they are admitted into the EU.
This solution is as good as any European leaders have come up with — and perhaps even the most immediately practical.
Individual EU countries would no longer be able to use the refugee crisis as a pretext for erecting fences and closing borders. The idea of equitable distribution of refugees across Europe could finally begin to take more concrete shape.
The shipping community would benefit from a such a scheme too, of course. We could rent our ships, many of which are now under-used due to an extremely weak shipping market. The scheme would allow us to continue paying our obligations to our creditors, generate employment and spend money on European services such as ship registration, auditing, repairs and port inspections.
This solution is as good as any European leaders have come up with — and perhaps even the most immediately practical. The shipping community is ready to be of service. This is our offer. The ball is now in the hands of European decision-makers.
Borut Grgic is a shipowner. He formerly served in the government of Slovenia as foreign policy advisor to the president.