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“Illegal Migration in the Mediterranean: Who Benefits?”

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“Illegal Migration in the Mediterranean: Who Benefits?” Zentrum für Europäische Integrationsforschung Center for European Integration Studies Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn “ILLEGAL MIGRATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: WHO BENEFITS?” By Faith Omokegbe Gabriel A thesis presented to the Center for European Integration Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of European Studies – Governance and Regulation to achieve the degree of a Master of European Studies Bonn, 31 August 2017 First Supervisor: Prof. Stephen Calleya Second Supervisor: Prof. Ludger Kühnhardt ACRONYMS EU European Union EUROSUR European Border Surveillance System FRONTEX European Border and Coast Guard Agency FTFs Foreign Terrorist Fighters GNA Government of National Accord HRW Human Right Watch IOM International Organisation for Migration ISIS Islamic State ILO International Labour Organisation LADDER Local Authorities as Drivers for Development Education and Raising awareness MRCC Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre MSF Médecins sans Frontières MENA Middle East and North Africa MOAS Migrant Offshore Aid Station NGO Non-Governmental Organisation OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development SAR Search and Rescue Operation TCN Third Country National(s) UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UN United Nations 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms........................................................................................................................................2 1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................4 2. Methodical Approach...................................................................................................................7 3. Migration Overview....................................................................................................................8 I. The Historic Analysis of the Politics of Migration between Africa and Europe ...................10 II. A Survey of Illegal Migration ...............................................................................................11 4. Migration Routes in the Mediterranean ....................................................................................13 5. Types and Causes of Migration.................................................................................................16 6. A Survey of the Case of Italy.....................................................................................................24 I. Italy immigration policy style.................................................................................................27 II. The role of NGO on the Central Mediterranean sea vs code of conduct ..............................31 7. Illegal Migration as a Gateway to Security Threat....................................................................34 8. EU Policy on Illegal Migration..................................................................................................38 I. An assessment of EU policy as regards the Malta Declaration ..............................................41 9. Recommendations......................................................................................................................43 10. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................46 References.....................................................................................................................................49 3 1. INTRODUCTION From the map above1, the Mediterranean Sea connects three continents (Africa, Europe and the Middle East), which is a complex sea “broken up by Islands, interrupted by peninsulas, ringed by intricate coastlines”2. Over the years, this geographic proximity has increasing threats and opportunities. Although, the strategic perspective can be viewed at least from four different angles: “the Western Mediterranean from the Gibraltar to the Gulf of Sirte, linking southern Europe to the Maghreb, the Adriatic sea linking Italy to the Balkans, the Aegean sea connecting Greece, Turkey and Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean basin” linking into the area of Israeli- Arab ongoing conflict3. The Mediterranean is already a geo-strategic area where several roots of insecurity threaten to escalate and put regional and international stability at risk. The regional trends that need to be urgently addressed include “collapse of failed States, illegal migration, the 1 Source: https://www.welt-atlas.de/map_of_mediterranean_sea_4-634 2 In the words of Fernand Braudel, see Calleya 2013 3 Security Challenges in the Euro-Med Area in the 21st Century, Stephen Calleya, Routledge, (2013) pp 4 4 increase of terrorists’ activities, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the proliferation of all types of weapons and increasing state of economic disparity between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean etc”4. The absence of a security arrangement in the Mediterranean has resulted in a security vacuum in this geo-strategically sensitive part of the world. This security vacuum creates opportunities for forces of insecurity to strive with the proliferation of arms in a region “where military procurement is already one of the highest in the world”5.Throughout history, the Mediterranean has continuously been at the centre of international relations. The end of the Cold War led some analysts to believe that the Mediterranean would be marginalised in global relations. The enlargement of the EU towards the east, the rise of China in Asia, and the emergence of India and Brazil as leading economic developing countries further cemented this perception (Calleya: 2013). Also, it is the location of the more than six decade old conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Arab Spring of 20116 has also unleashed a period of revolution that has further attracted international attention to the Mediterranean. The long list of threats and risks that need to be addressed and managed in a coherent manner requires an institutional design that can cope with such serious demands. A more stable security situation across the Mediterranean can be achieved with a better coordination between the multitudes of sub-regional groupings across the basin7. Since the end of the Cold War and especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks, there has been a continuous perception in Europe of a threat from the Middle East. Alarming headlines in the international media focusing on instability in the Middle East and regular arrival of hundreds of illegal migrants from the southern shores of the Mediterranean to Europe highlight such a trend8. Also, the media has focused on the emergence of an Islamic jihad against the West, due to 4Ibid pp 6 5Ibid pp 1 6 Started with Tunisia then other countries followed like Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen 7 Ibid ,pp 10 8 Ibid 5 the ever increasing number of illegal migrants that have sought to seek a better life in Europe by crossing the Mediterranean. During the first decade of the new millennium, negative perceptions of the Middle East have been further fuelled by constant images of violence and terror activities including Islamic extremists preaching hatred against the West (Iran, Lebanon), terrorists displaying contempt from human rights (Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Israel), brutal dictators flush with billions of dollars of oil money often seeking to purchase all types of weapons and Muslim leaders and lasses determined to establish Islamic states with laws that go against secular Western standards of civilisation9. Nevertheless, there is an ever increasing threat of human trafficking through the Mediterranean which is organised by criminal networks. These criminal networks are well organised, well equipped and connected to security forces throughout the region. This is a €250 Million business per year10 counting on the ‘fees’ collected by these criminal networks or human traffickers. Addressing this issue is essential as the number of migrants is certain to rise in the decades ahead as the sub-saharan state struggle to cope with the rising expectations of their respective populations. For example, since the stepping down of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh after 22 years rule, this political shift has brought hope, peace and stability to Gambians wishing to travel to Europe for a better life. Instead of traveling to Europe, they prefer to stay home to build their economy. Data from the IOM shows a decrease of the Gambians since February 2017. A constant revise of a forward and inclusive EU migration must be in view to tackle the roots causes of illegal migration through the Central Mediterranean Sea. One should bear in mind that the EU will need “20 million work force between 2010 – 2030 workers that its demographic trends cannot produce” (Calleya: 2013). Generally, the debates in Europe about migration have been profoundly influenced by the refugee crisis. In 2015, 1,003,124 people were reported by IOM (2016) to have arrived in the EU via the Mediterranean Sea routes with 3,771 people reported dead or missing. This ever 9 Ibid, pp 11 10 Ibid pp 14 6 increasing flow narrative is linked to national security matters and rise in terrorists activities in Europe. Thus, the term security has broad interpretations but for the purpose of this research work, the focus will be in the words of Prof. Barry Buzan, security complex, which is defined as a “set of States whose major perceptions and concerns are so interlinked that
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