All other EU members gave a sh*it about it and did nothing until the situation got out of control by late summer last year.
Nah, people from Arica started to came to Italy and Spain in droves after few countries decided in their wisdom to bomb Libya and then Syria form the map. It is not a secret and those countries should take a burden of the responsibility upon themselves.
Mainly those people were coming to Italy and Spain only some to Greece. That flood to Greece started when and after Merkel issued that invitation.
One point though,EU doesn't work like one big country, security and border control belongs to each member state. It is responsibility of Italy, Greece or whichever country to deal with people coming without visa and papers, if they are unable to do it, that's their problem.
There are few obvious reasons why this situation hasn't been dealt with in a rational, proper manner.
1. The EU institutions and bureaucrats as well as a majority of members states are in the clutches of the leftie ideology which make them act like a bunch of kindergarten children with a total disregard to the consequences of their action.
Such a ideology influence a legislation and a way the law is being implemented. In practical terms it means that there were a certain pressure for countries like Italy to accept people on boats and pontoons as refugees or at least as a potential refugees, more there were pressure applied for warships to pick them up and cart them over to the EU shore. Soon rafts started to being constructed along the north African shore, people paid like for a luxury cruise crowded on those rafts with a satellite phone to call for a taxi ( warship).
Because you are on of these lefties I fear I must tell you how that should be dealt with in the real world. Those people should be shipped directly to camps elected in some or other north African territory or an island, Where they would be photographed, fingerprinted, medical examination and screened as to their identity, nationality and checked whether or not they are genuine refugees.
At the same time people (gangs, ISIS or semi-criminal) who were making money on smuggling people to Europe should be apprehended their boats sunk. Allegations that Luxemburg helps in laundering their money and Junkier' s role in that should be properly investigated.
Germany being a leading country in the EU and imagining themselves as main European leader should and could passed legislation that would find funds for those procedures.
2. In those circumstances when those people started to cross over to Greece in the larger number her pitiful government started sending panicked massages. Hoping to get more funds from the EU. Merkel invited them to Germany, I supposed she meant Syrians and probably those who are already in one of the EU countries.
I don't understand what she was thinking or what the deal is. Regardless after her invitation Turkey opened her borders and let out anybody who wanted to go to Greece. They had at the time three or four refugees or immigrants form the middle east but also form all corners of the Muslim world.
It hasn't been said but it was Merkel invitation plus Turkey reaction that created that crisis.
3. After creating a problem that had been easy to see by anyone who wasn't blinded by that ideological bias. Governments of many countries, EU-cu@@s and lefties were happy as to what a brilliant and great humanitarians they are. All that perpetuated crisis which could have been stopped and nipped in the bud then and there even after Merkel's triggering.
I blame ideological fanatics and their hypocrisy as well as their mindless followers.
Left nowadays diverge into liberalism and progressivism which in fact reverted to being regressive. Even lefties are slowly coming to the conclusion that progressivism is in fact nothing else but regressivism because that ideology is causing more injuries to liberals and rational left than any right wing Church goer or whatnot ever could.
Yes, Merkel and Germany as well as their are yet again endangered Europe and the world. Sacrificing reason, logic and a common sense on the altar of some ideological fantasy. They are danger to themselves and other people, once again they proved to be unable to handle power, any power, they are loosing it.