Can Europe Cope with the Flood of Refugees?

Syrian refugees rescued from overloaded migrant boat

More than 51million people fled their homes in 2013 - an increase of six million from the previous year. Nearly six million of them are children. The rise in numbers was driven mainly by the fighting in Syria, along with new conflicts in the Central African Republic and South Sudan.

The sheer professionalism and dedication of the Italian navy has been severely put to the test. Their job is a difficult one. Saving lives at sea, even with all the resources they have, is not always possible.

But that is their mission. It is not a foregone conclusion that they will make it to a ship in distress in time. Merchant ships can carry out rescues of course, and do. But the navy is best equipped to deal with the difficulties of moving scared, exhausted people between vessels in the middle of the sea. They are saving lives every day. One thing that is abundantly clear is that Europe's policy-makers need to get a grip on the situation.
The UN refugee agency this week revealed that the number of people fleeing war, persecution and poverty around the world is at levels not seen since World War II.  It says richer countries need to do more to help refugees - that poorer nations are shouldering more than their fair share of the task. Europe has seen tens of thousands arrive this year, and - as word spreads that the Italian navy is actively rescuing people at sea - more will presumably be tempted to take to the sea.

Moral imperative
Italy cannot cope on its own. Its asylum system is already under strain. The last boat rescued, was overloaded with migrants, most of whom were refugees from Syria. But can Europe deal with the people who are arriving? Their numbers are not that huge compared with a population in the EU of 500 million.
But anti-immigration sentiment is rising across the bloc. Politicians are campaigning on closing the doors, not opening them.  Where does this leave people who are seeking refuge because life elsewhere is simply intolerable and too dangerous? Equally, how to address the legitimate concerns that public services in some areas are already over burdened?  It's clear there is a moral imperative to save lives.

All of the migrants were escaping war - not fleeing because they wanted to leave their homes. They want to return to those homes when it's safe to do so. Can Europe, will Europe make them welcome?
What can the rest of the world do to help?