Species that aren’t native to Europe are costing the EU billions of Euros and threatening the continent’s biodiversity.
(Europe now has 10,000 alien species. Some 10 percent of these are considered invasive, meaning that when they arrive, they tend to eradicate native plants and animals. These invaders are costing European economies 12 billion euros every year in agricultural losses and health care costs, as well as impoverishing the diversity of local ecosystems.
One of the most harmful invasive plants is the Japanese knotweed, which was deliberately introduced to Europe as a decorative plant around 200 years ago.
The Egyptian goose has been particularly aggressive in its conquest of the Rhine, pushing out other duck species in the process.
The Asian long-horned beetle is another invader. It’s the forester’s worst nightmare because the beetle lays its eggs inside trees and when they hatch, they basically eat their way out.
Maybe this is what Merkel was rattling on about when she said multiculturalism wasn’t working.)