EFECTELE PRIMĂVERII ARABE ÎN EUROPA: REFUGIAŢI, SOLIDARITATE ŞI ISLAMOFOBIE
The effects of the Arab Spring in Europe: refugees, solidarity and Islamophobia

Summary/Abstract: Europe has turned its attention to the countries covered by the Revolutions generically called the Arab Spring, especially after the first waves of refugees arrived. Although the Arab Spring was seen as an aspiration for freedom and democracy, it also brought humanitarian instability and catastrophes into the affected countries. Prior to the Arab Spring, the Middle East and North Africa were dominated by undemocratic regimes. The presidents of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have been removed from power following the 2011 revolutions. The region's monarchies have adopted certain reforms requested by citizens (in Morocco, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia) while other leaders have decided to repress the revolutions violently (in Yemen, Syria and Bahrain). A special situation has been created in Syria: Bashar al-Assad is still in power after 6 years of civil war while 4.8 million Syrians have become refugees and another 8.7 million have moved to other areas of the country, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency - UNHCR. Migrants / refugees challenge the states in the MENA and Europe, forcing governments to mobilize material and human resources to find appropriate response, either to rescue, take over and integrate them, or to halt the wave of migration. Europe's response to the wave of migration has also been heavily influenced by the wave of attacks claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL or DAESH) since 2014. This paper aims to analyze some aspects of the current wave of migration from MENA to Europe and the responses formulated by both the EU and some European states, underlining that the arrival of refugees was one of the effects of the Arab Spring, but migrants from poor countries to rich countries are constant phenomena in the history of mankind.

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