PURSUING AN IMMIGRATION-FRIENDLY CULTURE. An average of 55% respondents in ten EU countries believe that "further immigration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped", says a new study by Chatham House think tank.
This includes 53% of respondents within Germany, where of the 170,000 asylum applications rejected in 2016, 26,000 were repatriated.
EU governments must bring pragmatism, compassion & courage, not mere knee-jerk reactions, to calls for realistic immigration controls.
The alternative to installing wise controls is to provide a breeding ground for undiscerning ultra-nationalism, in which deserving asylum-seekers & child refugees will be rejected out-of-hand.
In such a culture, nations are robbed of the many benefits of a welcoming attitude toward immigrants.