Johnson and Macron only think of themselves

The death of 27 people in the English Channel is followed by a public rift between Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron. It exemplarily shows why solutions to international problems are becoming more difficult.

The number of populists is growing. Whether migration, climate, corona or trade: Your first reflex is the question of how you can score domestic political points in the short term, and not what you can contribute to a sustainable remedy. The obligations arising from contracts and international law are of secondary importance to them.

The distribution of roles is unusual this time. It is usually the Briton Johnson who fails to honor agreements when they threaten his support among the electorate – such as the agreements on Northern Ireland and fishing rights in the Brexit agreement.

Now Macron is giving him the cold shoulder. France should actually take back migrants who can be shown to have entered the UK illegally from there. It would also make sense for the French and British to work more closely together to reduce the number of people who risk death on the crossing.

The calculation: Resentment brings more than cooperation

Johnson’s opportunism and Macron’s reaction are particularly bitter because, from a factual point of view, both should have an interest in an agreement. The rapid increase in people smuggling across the English Channel refutes the core of the Brexit promise: “Take back control”. Macron would find it easier in the presidential election campaign against right-wing populists Eric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen if he could solve the problems on the English Channel.

But both prefer to focus on emotions rather than factual politics. Stirring mutual resentment brings sure profit. It is uncertain whether cooperation will lead to a solution.

The drama on the English Channel and the destructive reduction of the challenge to domestic gain should be a warning to Germany. Migration is more complex than the current narratives of Fortress Europe and the masses who all want to go to Germany portray.

Why do tens of thousands want to get out of the EU?

Why do tens of thousands of migrants who have reached the EU want to move on to the UK? Because they have family or friends there, because the job market is easier and because many can speak English.

The traffic light parties want to align their migration policy with the complex reality: facilitate legal immigration to take up work; Reduce irregular routes that lead to asylum applications, most of which are rejected, through better border security and more consistent repatriation.

It’s a laboriously negotiated compromise. This will only succeed if the SPD, Greens and FDP defend all parts of the overall package – and not, like Johnson, only what their own clientele like.