Europe seems to finally be awaking to the depth and extent of the problem relating to migration. For nearly a decade, Europe has failed to act, leaving Malta, Italy and Greece to deal with the brunt of the problem, rescuing people at sea and then trying to integrate them into communities. But now, the story seems to have changed.

The first spark of change came about when hundreds of people lost their lives at sea when a boat capsized. The European Union held an extraordinary summit and although many things were promised, the only thing to materialise was the increased presence of rescue ships in the Mediterranean. Malta continues to play a role, but most immigrants are now taken to Italy. In the past few weeks, however, Europe seems to have woken from its slumber, but with very different approaches. Hungary is constructing a border fence to keep out migrants coming from the East. Germany has admitted that it simply cannot cope with the sheer number of migrants that it has to process on a daily basis.

But he real flashpoint is Calais. It seems that the Mediterranean is only the first sea leg of many migrant journeys. Many are trying to get to the UK through the Channel tunnel. Lorry drivers traversing the Channel Tunnel have become spooked as they face fines if they are found to be harbouring immigrants on their trucks, knowingly or not. Calais has become a place of fear as migrants try to force their way into trucks, with some lorry drivers being threatened. Many are too scared to even open the windows of their trucks, for fear of being hijacked. UK holidaymakers are avoiding going to France on ferries or the Channel Tunnel. Many residents in Calais are trying to leave the coastal town as more and more migrants descend on it in a bid to get to the UK.

The UK’s response has been harsh. More and more border guards are being deployed and more and more checks are being carried out at entry points.

The truth of the matter is that this is a Europe-wide crisis. The longer individual states try to shut themselves off from the problem, the more it is going to escalate. There is no hard and fast solution to the problem. Many argue that it needs to be tackled at its root cause: balancing out the world’s wealth and bringing peace and stability to Africa. But that is decades away. The only thing that would potentially alleviate the problem would be to create a legal corridor whereby asylum seekers could enter Europe legally after applying for asylum while still on the African continent. Europe must also act to register and resettle the vast amounts of African people who are living in squalor and desperation in camps, parks, tents and by the motorways in various countries.

It is becoming abundantly clear that they are congregating at various gateways in the hope of someday finding somewhere where they will be accepted and can find a job and rebuild their lives. If they are resettled in places where they are helped to find a job, then they will start contributing to the economy of Europe as well as to society. Keeping them on the fringe, living like animals in packs, is only closing our eyes to a problem which will, at some point, careen out of control.