Vienna, Jan. 26, (dpa/GNA) – The number of refugees heading to Europe this year is likely to rise due to the coronavirus pandemic, the migration policy think tank ICMPD predicts.
Better availability of vaccines and health care in Europe and the global economic crisis caused by the pandemic are expected to fuel higher levels of migration to the bloc, Michael Spindelegger, head of the Vienna-based International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), told the Handelsblatt newspaper.
“In the EU, people receive free vaccination. This is very attractive for refugees from Africa, Latin America and Asia. Therefore we expect an increase in illegal immigration,” added Spindelegger, who is also the former Austrian vice chancellor and foreign minister.
“In many countries economic hopes are sinking. Therefore the pressure to emigrate will intensify,” he predicted.
ICMPD experts say they have observed new migration routes to Europe emerging, such as from Lebanon to Cyprus or from Mauritania to the Canary Islands.
The number of migrants taking those routes has climbed by 900 per cent, according to the organization. On the central Mediterranean route via Tunisia, numbers increased by 155 per cent in the last year.
Spindelegger also said he expects increased migration from Latin America once flight routes have been restored, as the region has been hit much harder economically than the European Union.
The ICMPD was founded in 1993 by Austria and Switzerland and 18 European states are members.
GNA