EU brought the refugee crisis upon itself

Heads of government from European and African countries, together with delegates from international and regional organizations, gathered in Malta on Wednesday and Thursday for a summit on migration. And the Middle East refugee crisis will be an important topic at the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey, on Nov 15-16, too. This is a good time for the entire world to reflect on the reasons behind the crisis.

From the Ukraine crisis and the Greek debt crisis to the ongoing Middle East refugee crisis, serious exigencies have been haunting the European Union. But perhaps the greatest challenge the EU faces is the massive wave of asylum seekers from the Middle East, many of whom have risked their lives to flee their war-torn homelands in Syria, Libya and even Afghanistan.

The European Commission reportedly plans to propose a "structural EU-wide resettlement scheme" early next year for the refugees. Its aim is to accept at least 200,000 refugees directly from camps in countries such as Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.