ust between 13-14 September 2023, more than 7,000 North Africans arrived on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, the well-known migration hub in the Mediterranean Sea. The situation has become so critical that its mayor, Filippo Mannino, declared to Italian RTL 102.5 radio, "We have now reached a point of no return, and the island is in crisis."
Since the Arab Spring of 2011, migration to Southern Europe, particularly Italy, have steadily increased. The island of Lampedusa has been at the center of Italy’s domestic debate for years, with right-wing politicians repeatedly calling for port closures and left-wing politicians advocating less restrictive migration policies.
The Italian right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has failed to take measures to stop the flow of migrants, as promised during the 2022 election campaign. She recently said she hoped to do "better" in controlling irregular migration.
Due to the increasing number of migrants, the European Union tried—but failed—in late September 2023 to find an agreement on a new migration law. Germany and Italy could not agree on the role of NGOs and human rights guarantees in detention centers.
Meloni expressed her "astonishment" at Germany after it was reported that the Scholz government was financing NGOs to rescue people in the Mediterranean. The German foreign ministry confirmed that its government supports the NGO SOS Humanity with a program worth £685,000.
Germany has also intensified controls over its borders with Poland and the Czech Republic to combat illegal immigration. That decision came after an about 80% rise in asylum requests this year, which has been exploited by the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in this month's Bavaria elections.
Then, Meloni met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome to overcome the EU stalemate. Macron pledged to help Italy manage migration flows, which have doubled since 2022 and tripled since 2021.
The news service Bloomberg reported that they agreed to back "quick implementation of a European Union plan to manage the inflow and transfer of migrants, counter smugglers with stronger air and sea surveillance, and deepen partnerships with departure countries such as Tunisia and Libya to fight people smugglers."
In early October 2023, diplomatic tensions within the EU decreased significantly, opening the way for ambassadors to reach a preliminary migration agreement. Italy succeeded in removing a point included by Germany, which provided that the migrant-rescuing NGOs could not be accused of profiting from migration flows in the future.
Some diplomatic sources told Euronews, "Poland and Hungary voted against this migration reform, while Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic decided to abstain." The European Council will use the text as a starting point for the negotiations with the European Parliament, a necessary step to bring it into force.
Political contrasts, however, extend beyond European borders. Tunisian President Kais Saied recently rejected the first installment of financial aid worth $133 million from the EU. He defined it as "derisory" and violating the terms agreed upon in July 2023, which provided $1 billion to sustain the country's economy and manage the migration flows.
Lastly, on 05 October 2023, European leaders met in Granada, Spain, to come up with a common agenda on immigration and other critical issues, such as EU eastern enlargement. They succeeded in striking a deal to adopt a new immigration policy, which must go through further steps before it becomes legally binding.
The new package's significant innovations are immigration centers outside the EU borders, a new authority to manage the process of asylum seekers, and lastly, support for Mediterranean countries, such as Italy. Again, Poland and Hungary rejected the final joint statement.
It is too early to evaluate the impact of this European reform, especially during severe instabilities in the Mediterranean area. However, it is clear that the unanimity principle adopted by the EU decision-making process is not always adequate to address some common challenges, mainly because of Hungary's frequent vetoes in foreign policy.
The EU Parliament this summer discussed a plan to overcome unanimity for the decisions taken by the Council, a reform that, if achieved, could profoundly change the EU and its ability to handle internal and external problems.
Also, the EU could adopt an effective migration policy only with a certain degree of pragmatism and cooperation with non-member countries. Brussels policymakers should be aware that external trends, such as climate change, economic issues, and political turmoils, significantly impact migration flows with unpredictable consequences.
This is why it is necessary to integrate countries in North Africa and the Middle East, along with Sub-Saharan Africa, into a comprehensive regional migration approach, which can address its foreign policy goals, such as isolating Russia from developing countries and solving the issue of labor shortages in some critical sectors.
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EU at a Crossroads on Immigration
October 19, 2023
Cross-Mediterranean migration to the EU has steadily increased over the last decade, yet the bloc has been unable to agree on new migration laws to address the changing environment. However, a preliminary agreement reached in early October offers hope, writes DC Correspondent Elia Preto Martini.
J
ust between 13-14 September 2023, more than 7,000 North Africans arrived on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, the well-known migration hub in the Mediterranean Sea. The situation has become so critical that its mayor, Filippo Mannino, declared to Italian RTL 102.5 radio, "We have now reached a point of no return, and the island is in crisis."
Since the Arab Spring of 2011, migration to Southern Europe, particularly Italy, have steadily increased. The island of Lampedusa has been at the center of Italy’s domestic debate for years, with right-wing politicians repeatedly calling for port closures and left-wing politicians advocating less restrictive migration policies.
The Italian right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has failed to take measures to stop the flow of migrants, as promised during the 2022 election campaign. She recently said she hoped to do "better" in controlling irregular migration.
Due to the increasing number of migrants, the European Union tried—but failed—in late September 2023 to find an agreement on a new migration law. Germany and Italy could not agree on the role of NGOs and human rights guarantees in detention centers.
Meloni expressed her "astonishment" at Germany after it was reported that the Scholz government was financing NGOs to rescue people in the Mediterranean. The German foreign ministry confirmed that its government supports the NGO SOS Humanity with a program worth £685,000.
Germany has also intensified controls over its borders with Poland and the Czech Republic to combat illegal immigration. That decision came after an about 80% rise in asylum requests this year, which has been exploited by the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in this month's Bavaria elections.
Then, Meloni met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome to overcome the EU stalemate. Macron pledged to help Italy manage migration flows, which have doubled since 2022 and tripled since 2021.
The news service Bloomberg reported that they agreed to back "quick implementation of a European Union plan to manage the inflow and transfer of migrants, counter smugglers with stronger air and sea surveillance, and deepen partnerships with departure countries such as Tunisia and Libya to fight people smugglers."
In early October 2023, diplomatic tensions within the EU decreased significantly, opening the way for ambassadors to reach a preliminary migration agreement. Italy succeeded in removing a point included by Germany, which provided that the migrant-rescuing NGOs could not be accused of profiting from migration flows in the future.
Some diplomatic sources told Euronews, "Poland and Hungary voted against this migration reform, while Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic decided to abstain." The European Council will use the text as a starting point for the negotiations with the European Parliament, a necessary step to bring it into force.
Political contrasts, however, extend beyond European borders. Tunisian President Kais Saied recently rejected the first installment of financial aid worth $133 million from the EU. He defined it as "derisory" and violating the terms agreed upon in July 2023, which provided $1 billion to sustain the country's economy and manage the migration flows.
Lastly, on 05 October 2023, European leaders met in Granada, Spain, to come up with a common agenda on immigration and other critical issues, such as EU eastern enlargement. They succeeded in striking a deal to adopt a new immigration policy, which must go through further steps before it becomes legally binding.
The new package's significant innovations are immigration centers outside the EU borders, a new authority to manage the process of asylum seekers, and lastly, support for Mediterranean countries, such as Italy. Again, Poland and Hungary rejected the final joint statement.
It is too early to evaluate the impact of this European reform, especially during severe instabilities in the Mediterranean area. However, it is clear that the unanimity principle adopted by the EU decision-making process is not always adequate to address some common challenges, mainly because of Hungary's frequent vetoes in foreign policy.
The EU Parliament this summer discussed a plan to overcome unanimity for the decisions taken by the Council, a reform that, if achieved, could profoundly change the EU and its ability to handle internal and external problems.
Also, the EU could adopt an effective migration policy only with a certain degree of pragmatism and cooperation with non-member countries. Brussels policymakers should be aware that external trends, such as climate change, economic issues, and political turmoils, significantly impact migration flows with unpredictable consequences.
This is why it is necessary to integrate countries in North Africa and the Middle East, along with Sub-Saharan Africa, into a comprehensive regional migration approach, which can address its foreign policy goals, such as isolating Russia from developing countries and solving the issue of labor shortages in some critical sectors.
