Current Event September

Germany's immigration laws are detailed and acceptance into the country is difficult, and nothing shows this better than the story of the Roma.
1900 Macedonians and Serbs have applied for asylum in Germany in August alone, seeking sanctuary from discrimination in their home countries. It is speculated that Germany's excellent healthcare and benefits systems make many Roma wish to enter the country, but less that 0,1 percent of the applications are granted. This is because the Roma are not being pursued politically, and therefore are not protected by the Geneva Conventions. Roma from Bulgaria and Romania, however, may move into Germany since their nations have joined the EU. They still are not allowed to work, however, and many resort to crime or illegal jobs, or remain in poverty and unemployed. This exacerbates resentment toward the immigrants, and therefore the restrictions will be lifted in 2014. In the meantime, integration efforts such as German courses for immigrants are expensive and when Roma deny their ethnicity for fear of discrimination they are ineligible for these courses.
The immigration and ethnic issues are not limited to Germany; they are an issue of the entire EU that is reflected in Germany's situation. While Germany's laws cause part of the problem, ethnic prejudices and EU sanctions are, in my opinion, the first thing that need to be changed for Germany to become both more prosperous and more open to struggling immigrants.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16256679,00.html