MIGRATION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: THE DUALITY OF POLITICS AND CULTURE

The article presents the results of study of the political and cultural aspects of the migratory stream to the member states of the European Union at present. The problem is analyzed at different levels: everyday relations between EU citizens and migrants; political dialogue of the member states of the European Union in connection with the problem; identity/ misunderstanding between the population and authorities concerning the influx of refugees before the response of othernational actors (states) to the actions of the EU in relation to the influx of migrants. The attention is paid to the problems associated with the increase in cultural conflicts due to the influx of illegal immigrants in the EU. It is shown that today in Europe the problem of intercultural and inter-religious conflicts reaches the new level addressing such problems as the threats to the safety of EU citizens, the attacks on European values and the homogenization of the cultural identity of Europeans. It is concluded that the internalization of liberal values among refugees is impossible if migrants are not ready to get involved into the European environment voluntarily. The political differences between the member states of the European Union concerning the effective steps in solving the problem of influx of migrants especially considering the adoption of the Dublin Convention are demonstrated. The variants of migration policy introduced by the supporters and opponents of migration into the EU (German and British solutions of the problem) are assessed.