Migration and the failure of EU’s cooperative frameworks in the Mediterranean

Abstract

Migration is one of the phenomena which, as politicians and policy makers keep reiterating, requires a cooperative approach. The mantra is that migration is a complex phenomenon which no single state, no matter how large or small, can deal with effectively single-handed. This is an unremarkable statement to the extent that it is self-evident that dealing with the root-causes of migration, managing migratory flows across maritime and land borders, and efforts towards a fair, efficient and humane settlement of substantial migratory flows requires large scale cooperation. This cooperation is required among a range of actors; be they countries of origin, transit countries or destination countries. The Mediterranean region is one of the hotspots in terms of migratory flows. Since the beginning of this decade (at least) migratory flows across the Mediterranean have become consistent and persistent with arrivals from Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East through land and sea routes into Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta amongst others. The question that this essay will examine is whether the Mediterranean region has witnessed regional and/or sub-regional cooperation in the context of the management of migratory flows. This essay will argue that notwithstanding, the abundance of political rhetoric and policy documents establishing cooperative frameworks for the management of migration in the Mediterranean region, migratory flows have led to rather more conflictual than cooperative relations amongst EU Member States while cooperation by the EU and its member states with North African states (which are both countries of origin as well as transit countries) may at best be described as insufficient. The consequences of these failures in cooperation have been to accentuate unrest with migration amongst significant portions of the EU public, the rise of political parties and particular politicians on the wave of anti-immigration sentiment and, most importantly and tragically, thousands of human lives lost in the Mediterranean Sea.