Europe can't be a fortress
Europeans are used to seeing the legacy of medieval times on the continent: castles built high on craggy hills to make them inaccessible, sometimes secured by moats, and cities kept safe behind thick walls with just a few narrow gates. Our ancestors wanted to protect themselves from intruders, attacks and raids. Guards posted at the gates decided who was allowed to enter the town, and who stayed out.
Today, Europe's castles no longer serve a purpose; its cities have long spread out past the medieval walls and gates. They've changed, and they've developed, enhanced by new movements and a free exchange with those who were once kept out. Fortress towns, still with the old walls, have become irrelevant - they are mere tourist attractions, fine to look at but no longer the flourishing centers they once were.
European delusion
Now, Europe must decide once again. Thousands of refugees are at its gates, and many more are on their way. What should Europe do? Build higher walls and fences, as Hungary has done? Send even more police and soldiers to the borders or hire more officials to deport the migrants even more quickly?
Do we want to focus our energy on defending ourselves?
Shouldn't we focus our energy, money and political willpower on measures to allow an orderly reception, the best possible integration and finally naturalization of the refugees? Do we want to conserve the status quo, or think ahead? Do we want to look to the past, or to the future? Those are the questions Germany and Europe face today.
Despite the many crises and the differences between EU member states, Europe still means affluence, stability and the rule of law to non-Europeans. It's a place where human rights are respected. That's why the EU remains attractive, not just for war refugees from the Middle East, but for people from Africa and the western Balkans, too.
What's even more important is that all of these achievements have become part of Europe's self-image. What began as an economic project has long been much more: a community of values. That's why Europe today should not define itself by how high its fences or how effective the police are, but by its openness, tolerance and freedom.
At a crossroads
By erecting barricades, Europe would betray its principles and rob itself of a future.
Yes, the newcomers will change Europe - that is what change is about. But it's up to Europe to decide which direction the changes will take. Even a walled-in Europe will invariably change.
If the European house turns into a European fortress, there will be consequences not only for those who are trying to get in but for the Europeans themselves, who will become prisoners of their own fears. Those who bar the refugees from entering Europe today risk facing what may be unsettling within their very fortress. Far-right extremists, chauvinists and xenophobes across Europe are waiting in the wings.
Instead, Europe should accept the challenge posed by the many refugees, and see the potential for the future of Europe's own societies.
Numerous grass-roots initiatives already support refugees in Germany, and they are an example of how it works. New forms of neighborhood support for the newcomers are mushrooming in the communities, and their equivalent on a higher level in Germany and in Europe would be a sign of immigration policies that can be taken seriously, and that are honest.
It would be a win-win situation for the immigrants and for Europe.
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