A Nonbinding Migration Pact Is Roiling Politics in Europe
Why is a relatively straightforward multilateral agreement that has no legal standing causing such controversy? EMILY SCHULTHEIS KRISHNADEV CALAMUR 6:08 AM ET Angela Merkel has supported a UN migration compact, but not everyone is happy with it. ABDERRAHMANE MOKHTARI / REUTERS An international migration pact adopted by the vast majority of the world’s nations aims to better handle rising flows of migrants worldwide, explicitly upholds national sovereignty, and is not legally binding. Why, then, is much of Europe freaking out over it? The United Nations Global Migration Compact, signed this week by 164 countries, has been years in the making, and includes relatively uncontroversial goals such as improving data collection. In a sign of its import, German Chancellor Angela Merkel—whose legacy will likely be defined by her decision to allow more than 1 million refugees into her country in 2015 and 2016—flew in to Marrakech, Morocco, for the signing ceremony, arguing that it was “worth it t...
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