In addition to the bombed-out houses, squares and inner cities and the already many hundreds of deaths that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has cost, other images are also spreading around the world: of students sorting children’s shoes and other relief supplies at the Polish-Ukrainian border. The open arms with which the many Ukrainian refugees in neighboring countries are received. The free train tickets that are made available.
It is heartwarming how thousands of Europeans have been refusing for days to surrender to the overwhelming sense of powerlessness that begins each new day of war. Also in the Netherlands there are hundreds of small collection campaigns for relief goods and food parcels are distributed to stranded Ukrainian drivers. Europeans sometimes drive thousands of kilometers to pick up Ukrainians themselves. For example, former Defense Minister Joris Voorhoeve left for the Polish border and picked up a Ukrainian family there to receive them in his holiday home in Germany. That is Europe at its best.
Many Syrians were also warmly welcomed during the refugee crisis of 2015, especially after the ‘we want to buy thatby German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But that also caused endless discussions between EU countries about the limits of solidarity.
It is still early in the war, but this time there does not seem to be much discussion. This is partly due to Ukraine’s geographic proximity: the country borders four EU countries. The danger that Putin poses to the EU is experienced much more directly, and so is the suffering of his victims.
Cultural proximity plays a role in this. Kiev seems far away, but Ukrainians also eat potatoes and sauerkraut, just like the Poles, the Germans and the Dutch – and just like the Russians, for that matter. In helping people in need it should not matter whether someone feels familiar or not. But it is also not entirely incomprehensible that it plays a role.
At the same time, the EU does not have a good reputation when it comes to refugees. Most EU countries are fussy about taking in people from Greece, Spain and Italy, the countries where most refugees and migrants have arrived in recent years. It led to major tensions within the EU. Attempts to arrive at a joint migration policy invariably failed. In Poland and Hungary, among others, fences were built to stop refugees. Illegal pushbacks, sometimes forcibly pushing refugees back, have become common in Greece and the Balkans. Fortress Europe is a fact.
A popular solution among politicians is ‘reception in the region’. It is often a way of arguing that Europe does not bear primary responsibility. But Ukraine is our region, as Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs, CDA) now rightly says.
What is happening makes it clear that Europe is prepared to deal with refugees in a humane way. It is now important not to lose this spontaneous outburst of mercy and to provide good, stable and sustainable shelter for the arriving group of possibly hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. In the Netherlands too.
It is now up to European politicians to convert mercy into policy, by finally arriving at a joint refugee and migration policy, Europe will need it. The crisis in Ukraine will not be the last.
Also read: In addition to mercy, there is also racism at the border
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of March 3, 2022