As the migration crisis remains a pressing issue for European countries, many of them are facing devastating consequences, including economic strain over welfare payments, high crime rates that are prompting many prominent figures to leave, along with debates over ECHR laws that allow migrants to remain in the country even when they have committed crimes.
UK closes loophole in migration law
The UK is set to promise, at a crucial summit of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), to finally close the notorious loophole that has allowed illegal migrants and foreign criminals to remain in the UK. The council of 46 members intends to agree on a revision of the interpretation of human rights laws, which may finally put an end to cases where migrants remain in the country for trivial reasons.
The decision to plug the loophole comesfollowing a case in which an Albanian criminal was allowed to remain in the UK, because his son, aged 11, had become accustomed to certain British foods and would not like “foreign chicken nuggets” (in Albania).
The ECHR’s Article 3 protection against “inhuman or degrading treatment” and Article 8’s right to family life are the two areas in the spotlight, as both grounds have been used by human rights lawyers to prevent the deportation of people with no right to be in the UK.
Labour’s former human rights lawyer, Attorney General Lord Hermer, went on to praise the Convention for its “meaningful protections for ordinary people in Britain.”
“The Convention is 75 years old, but it has never been static,’ he said. ‘It has shown its ability to adapt and to respond to new challenges. That is why this country is proud to be part of a process to work with colleagues across the continent to modernise how the ECHR works, including how to protect our borders in the national interest, to ensure the Convention endures for another 75 years and beyond,” he stated.
According to the latest national polls, of the three most popular parties in the UK, only the Labour Party is committed to remaining in the ECHR. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will represent the UK at the summit in Moldova. Ahead of the talks, she called for a “common sense approach that reflects the realities of today.” Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has stated that it plans to agree on a “more modern” interpretation of the ECHR.
At the meeting, ministers will also discuss plans to send people who have been refused asylum to “centres in third countries.” The Conservatives, whilst in power, attempted to do this as part of the Rwanda scheme, but were thwarted by a legal challenge from irregular migrants, after which Sir Keir Starmer scrapped it entirely on his first day as Prime Minister.
According to reports, the European Union has discussed 12 potential countries: Armenia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Montenegro, Rwanda, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda and Uzbekistan. Supporters of the creation of migrant return hubs emphasise the need for these “third countries,” as migrants ordered to leave the country ultimately remain anyway.
Statistics from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, show that in the seven years leading up to 2023, around 500,000 migrants were ordered to leave the EU each year, but fewer than half of them complied.
In the meantime, the situation in the UK is no better, and debates are constantly flaring up regarding the domestic situation, with figures reaching 200,000 this week, whilst the “milestone” 200,000th migrant to cross the English Channel checked into a four-star hotel just 32 hours after landing on a beach in the UK, The Sun reported.
Germany: labour shortages, gangs, danger
In Germany, the migrant issue is a pressing concern, and as a result, comments by the Minister of Labour and co-chair of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Barbel Bas (SPD), that no one is coming to the country to take advantage of its social security system have been met with sharp criticism. Her comment was made during a Bundestag session when she was asked why spending on immigration had not been cut in light of the current budget crisis, given the obvious strain this places on the welfare system, which is causing growing discontent among German taxpayers.
“Immigration into the welfare state threatens social cohesion! The fact is: More and more immigrants are pushing into our social welfare system – and are bringing the system to its limits and to the brink of collapse,” CSU Member of Parliament Stephan Mayer told Bild on Tuesday, as quoted by Junge Freiheit.
She stated that this claim was incorrect, adding: “We have a shortage of skilled workers in this country, which many companies are addressing by saying, ‘We need everyone who is here in the country and can work.'”
René Springer, of the AfD, stated on social media last week that “Every statistic refutes her. The influx into Germany’s social security systems is verifiably documented and one of the main reasons why the Federal Republic is heading towards state bankruptcy.”
“There is less and less money for those in need because the wrong people, who have never paid into the system and never will, are being supported by us,” he told Bild.
In November 2024, federal government data showed that 64% of benefit recipients have a migrant background, despite making up a much smaller proportion of Germany’s total population. Spending on this social assistance rose to €12.2 billion in the previous year, but in total Germany spent nearly €50 billion on immigrants and border security in 2023.
In August 2025, Germany’s Federal Employment Agency promoted a “citizen’s allowance” among young migrants. In the same month, two SPD leaders in Thuringia split from their party, calling for the majority of migrants from non-EU countries, including asylum seekers and recognised refugees, should receive social benefits only in the form of interest-free loans, repayable upon finding employment, in a bid to reduce dependence on the state.
In recent years, the German authorities have been actively recruiting Indian students, partly in response to a shortage of skilled workers and demographic changes. There are currently almost 60,000 Indian students enrolled at German higher education institutions, which is five times the figure of 12,000 recorded just ten years ago.
However, the influx of students from India has also led to the emergence of “dubious business models” and unscrupulous recruitment agencies, which are increasingly exploiting international students. Commercial brokerage firms in India, which have turned university admissions into a lucrative but opaque industry, are seeking to profit from students.
“These so-called placement agencies in India are a grey market – and a core of the problem,” Joybrato Mukherjee, president of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), stated. “In India, the agency business has so far been unregulated, opaque, and characterised by many dubious providers.”
Nowadays, many people living in Germany have virtually no incentive to look for work, as even those facing deportation receive support at the taxpayer’s expense. Naturally, this does not take into account another problem – the high levels of crime among migrants, which is frequently reported in the media.
On Monday, seven alleged members of the so-called Knappi migrant gang from Dortmund’s appeared before the Regional Court of Dortmund on charges of attempted murder after investigators discovered a mobile phone video of a violent attack by a group of people at a bus stop. The suspects are nationals of Germany, Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea.
According to the newspaper Bild, the main alleged perpetrators are 20-year-old Faiz G. and 18-year-old Abdul-Kadir A., who are accused of knocking the victims to the ground. Abolfazl A., 17, is alleged to have used a pepper spray canister to subdue them.
A video recording of the attack, later found on a mobile phone, is said to show a night-time assault during which several young men surround the victims as they lie on the ground. The video shows one of the victims lying defenceless whilst the attackers surround her and kick her in the head. The gang are accused of spraying their victims with pepper spray, knocking them to the ground and beating them with their feet and fists. It also captured the attackers cheering each other on. Bild reported that the teenager filming the assault could be heard saying, “He’s lying on the ground, f*ck his mother, stab him,” whilst another attacker shouted, “Hey, let me too!” as the assault continued.
Investigators believe that the Knappi gang may be involved in other attacks in the city. In addition to the charges of attempted murder, some of the defendants face further charges. The trial is ongoing.
In another case, German comedian Nikita Miller narrowly escaped with his life after being attacked by a migrant at Bremen Central Station in November 2023. As a result, Miller left Germany and settled in Norway. In an interview with the British newspaper the Daily Express, he expressed his bewilderment that the migrant who had nearly killed him had not only been granted German citizenship but had also been released the very same night he carried out the bloody knife attack.
“He was released that same night and now has German citizenship. The justice system is a bit strange. Nothing has been done so far. The perpetrator was released the same night with the statement: ‘He no longer poses any danger,’” Miller said.
During the interview, Miller describes the incredible logic employed by the German judicial system, which argued that, since Miller did not die, it was not attempted murder. Miller told the court he survived only because he successfully fought back during the random attack. The charge against the suspect was reduced to the lesser offence of causing bodily harm.
He also stated he had left Germany because of the attack, moving from Cologne to Norway, because, in his words, he would not be able to face the justice system again, especially if something were to happen to his family.
“I thought, if something happens to my wife or my family and I have to struggle with this justice system again, I won’t survive it a second time. And then I said, ‘We have to move,’” he said, adding that since moving he feels safe and happy.
However, Miller is far from the only one who has expressed a desire to leave Germany. The well-known YouTuber Radical Living, famous for his comedy shorts about expat life and European countries, spoke in a video about his decision to leave Germany, noting that crime and immigration played a significant role in this.
“Once you have children, you also think about where you want to raise them, especially if you have a daughter. I don’t think Germany is a good place to raise a daughter anymore because women, in general, don’t feel safe walking down the street at night,” he said in the 36-minute video, which was published for his 2 million followers. “You don’t have to take my word for it; there are public petitions in all major German cities. Women want vouchers for free taxi rides at night, and in Berlin, they want women-only subway carriages. The stories you hear about what women have to endure on Berlin’s public transport are just appalling.”
In Germany, 59% of all crimes of sexual violence at stations and on trains are carried out by migrants. Currently, 90 violent crimes are committed daily at German stations and on trains, as trains are increasingly becoming “no-go zones” that pose a threat to women.
The stance of these two people is also reflected in opinion polls. A survey conducted last year by the prestigious Allensbach Institute showed that 81% of Germans believe there are too many refugees, as 58% believe there are too many foreigners in general. The survey also showed that the number of Germans who feel safe in their own country has fallen by one percentage point compared with last year, dropping to 60% – a new record low.
The Netherlands calls for more freedom in the granting of asylum
At the summit of 46 member states in Moldova, representatives from the Netherlands have backed an initiative to rethink the application of the ECHR in the field of migration. As part of a new political declaration, The Hague stated the need to grant national authorities greater freedom in shaping policy on asylum, according to De Dagelijkse Standaard.
Supporters of the reform point out current legal precedents and the courts’ interpretations of the convention are blocking the deportation of individuals who have committed offences, thereby upsetting the balance between the protection of migrants’ rights and the safety of citizens. Critics of the existing system note that the European Convention, adopted to protect fundamental civil rights, has in recent years become a legal barrier for migration services. References to articles on the prohibition of torture and the right to family life are regularly used in judicial practice to overturn deportation orders.
Examples cited include cases where lawful deportations have been blocked due to the inadequacy of reception systems in neighbouring countries, or the inability to expel individuals suspected of planning radical acts, which is causing public discontent in a number of European states.
Experts view the Netherlands’ current diplomatic move as a shift from the government’s previous position. At that time, the country’s leadership’s refusal to sign a collective letter of criticism from European countries addressed to the ECHR triggered a serious domestic political crisis and led to the dissolution of the cabinet on the initiative of the PVV party. The Hague’s current change of course is linked to the worsening migration crisis within the country and growing electoral pressure from right-wing political forces.
Nevertheless, sceptics doubt the effectiveness of the proposed “political declaration”. The document, according to them, is of a compromising nature and risks remaining merely a declaratory statement, which will be successfully challenged in the courts by relevant human rights organisations. To bring about real change, analysts believe it is necessary to firmly establish national sovereignty in matters of deportation, rather than attempting to reform established European institutions through legal compromises.
Majority of criminal gang members in Sweden have a migration past
In the meantime, a new national assessment in Sweden has found the extent of the criminal networks operating within the country’s economy; the majority of those involved in the organised crime crisis in Sweden are of migrant origin.
A report published by the organisation Sweden Against Organised Crime identified a core group of 50,165 people who, according to estimates by the Swedish Police and the Acta Publica database, are members of organised crime in Sweden. This figure rises to 224,390 when accomplices and those providing assistance or support to suspects are included.
The report notes that organised crime is no longer limited to street gangs or isolated criminal incidents, but is closely intertwined with legitimate companies, public funds, social benefits, the labour market and public institutions.
Around 30 per cent of those involved in organised crime were born abroad, 49% had both parents who were foreign nationals, and 60% had at least one parent who was a foreign national. This is despite the fact that first- and second-generation migrants make up around 27% of Sweden’s population.
The report states that organised crime “cannot be reduced to migration background,” as 40% of the core group were born in Sweden to parents who were both born in Sweden. However, it also notes that migrants are disproportionately represented in the organised crime group under study, making this factor important for understanding the composition of Swedish criminal networks.
Sweden Democrats MEP Charlie Weimers, commenting on the report, also noted that those classified as Swedish for the report’s purposes could also be third-generation migrants or further back. “Many who are labelled Swedish in statistics and the media have no real Swedish background – only Swedish citizenship,” he wrote on X.
In the broader context of organised crime, approximately 40% of all recorded suspected offences between 1995 and 2023 are linked to organised crime. These offences include drug-related offences, violent crimes, theft, fraud, economic crimes and firearms-related offences.
