Irregular Migration in the Mediterranean
Saving Lives Requires Systemic Solutions at EU Level
Interested in this topic? See our full paper: ‘Irregular Migration via the Central Mediterranean: From Emergency Responses to Systemic Solutions’.
Scaling up maritime surveillance and rescue operations seemed like a logical response to the increase in irregular flows of migrants and refugees across the Central Mediterranean and to the dramatic human losses involved.
Between 2011 and 2016, more than 630,000 irregular migrants and refugees reached Italy via the Central Mediterranean route. During the same time, more than 13,000 lost their lives in the crossing from Libya to Italy, shocking Europeans into action. Several large-scale operations were deployed, first by Italy, then at EU level, both to assist migrant boats in distress and to better control Europe’s southern borders (in particular, the Frontex-led ‘Operation Triton’, which began in November 2014, and the ‘EU NavFor/Sophia’ operation, which was launched in June 2015). At the same time, an increasing number of non-governmental organisations deployed their own capabilities to rescue more people.
However, despite these intensified efforts, 2016 turned out to be the deadliest year yet. More than 4,500 lives were lost at sea. And irregular migration flows continued to increase, with 181,000 irregular migrants and refugees disembarked in Italy in 2016 alone.
For an interactive version, see our strategic note.
Source: International Organisation for Migration
The shift towards more institutionalised maritime surveillance and rescue operations has, in fact, prompted new practices among smugglers, making it easier and cheaper for them to organise irregular crossings, but more risky for the migrants themselves.
As recently as 2014, people smugglers were still mainly making use of larger vessels — wooden boats, fishing vessels or decommissioned commercial vessels — that they manned themselves. These were, for the most part, able to reach Italian shores without having to rely on rescue operations. Since 2016, however, smugglers have switched to mainly placing people on cheap and completely unseaworthy inflatable dinghies that have no prospect of ever reaching Europe. In fact, inflatable dinghies now account for 70% of all boats leaving the Libyan coast. The smugglers themselves no longer embark on these boats and, in the absence of experienced navigators on board, casualties caused by navigation errors and incompetence have been growing.
As a direct result, the death toll is on the rise, while the number of smugglers arrested during surveillance operations is declining.
At the same time, as Italian, European and non-governmental rescue efforts bear fruit, more and more irregulars are being transported to the safety of Italian ports. There, they are processed in hotspots in an attempt to distinguish between those who are in genuine need of protection and can qualify for asylum, from those who do not. Although the geographic distribution of arrivals reveals that some 70 % come from countries or regions not suffering from violent conflicts or oppressive regimes, as many as 50% of arrivals requested asylum in 2016. This not only reflects a certain abuse of asylum procedures, but also the dire living conditions in the countries of origin and the lack of other legal avenues enabling irregular migrants to remain in Europe.
Source: Adapted from Médecins Sans Frontières
So, while saving the lives of those at immediate risk of drowning in the Central Mediterranean is and must remain a clear moral and humanitarian obligation, the evidence of past years shows that the institutionalisation of maritime surveillance and rescue operations has unintentionally played into the hands of ruthless smuggling networks. A purely humanitarian response will not diminish migration flows or human losses. The EU therefore must put in place a systemic solution, in cooperation with sending and transit countries, enabling it to better protect the thousands of migrants risking their lives on a daily basis, while also regaining control over its borders.
As European Heads of State and Government prepare to discuss how best to address migratory pressures stemming from the EU’s southern neighbourhood at their informal summit in Malta on 3 February 2017, the European Political Strategy Centre’s new paper on ‘Irregular Migration via the Central Mediterranean: From Emergency Responses to Systemic Solutions’, published today, provides a comprehensive overview of the current situation in the Central Mediterranean and discusses the pros and cons of the different measures and instruments available to the EU and its Member States.
