It might turn out to be a crisis not as protracted as that of the eurozone, but the immigration (or refugee) crisis in Europe looks like it's going to be long drawn out. It is leading to confrontation and divergences between EU member countries. It is instilling fear about the future among swathes of European populations which up to now had experienced tranquillity.
The worst damage was done and is happening in Germany. The political and personal reputation of Chancellor Merkel has deteriorated to an extent that it was impossible to even imagine up to some nine months ago. Members of her own party, some of whom had been quite close to her up till recently, criticise her privately and openly.
Resentment prevails in regions and districts which are having to deal with the complications caused by immigration. Furthermore, all over Germany, reports have proliferated about the unacceptable behaviour of some immigrants. Its root cause is the sharp cultural contrast between the German way of life and that in the country of origin of immigrants. Meanwhile, new refugees are still arriving at a rate that is hardly less than that of December.
A permanent solution to all this is not close.
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Maltese lands
A friend of mine was right to send me a message saying that the carelessness shown by the Maltese state over the years in managing its own lands and properties, applied equally to all lands that make up Maltese territory. He was reacting to what I wrote last Monday regarding the strange way by which successive governments had neglected to keep a correct register of what the government possesses by way of lands and buildings.
In a tiny country like ours, one would expect that it is quite easy to have a full register for all land in the island, inclusive of who owns what. It is an exercise that supposedly should be easy to implement, and an important one. Almost all countries keep such a register, known as a cadastre.
Well, if it ever existed in Malta, it must have been lost a long time ago. In 1957, the Labour government of those days launched a project to draw up an inventory of lands. Up to now, the implementation of that cadastre remains pending.
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Stigma
Full encouragement is due to efforts that are made to reduce and remove the effects of the stigma carried by certain kinds of diseases. Perhaps the public sector needs to become more proactive in combating such stigma for it adds even more problems to those that sick persons already face.
The effects of stigma that are most discussed refer to mental health conditions. But they have a wider reach. Other diseases arouse social discomfort, or those who suffer from them might prefer to keep their condition secret. Here, no effort should be spared to safeguard the privacy of the individual.
At a time when many of the inhibitions of the past seem to have been overcome, the truth is that a number of situations still exist which place people in a difficult social or personal position. These people have every right to expect that they be given protection from stigma.