To manage migration, the EU needs to rethink its neighbourhood policy

The main thrust of the EU’s response to the migration crisis has been to enlist the co-operation of third countries in an attempt to better control its own borders. This approach has been successful in reducing the number of arrivals to 205,000 in 2017, from 1.8 million in 2015. However, it had come at a high human cost. Migrants’ human rights had been abused on route, especially in Libya where they were subject to imprisonment and violence, and sometimes even sold as slaves.

Migration cannot be managed by the EU alone and its current approach would become increasingly difficult to sustain. Managing migration was a long-term endeavour that required much deeper co-operation with countries to Europe’s south, within the framework of a renewed neighbourhood policy that provided far greater access to European markets. By rethinking its approach to the southern neighbourhood, the EU would not only be able to move towards a more humane and effective way of managing migration, but also foster economic growth and political stability in a region that was vital to Europe’s security.

ESO: Information Guide: European Migration Challenges http://www.europeansources.info/record/information-guide-european-migration-challenges/

European Parliament: European Parliamentary Research Service: Study, May 2018: EU funds for migration, asylum and integration policies http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2018/603828/IPOL_STU(2018)603828_EN.pdf

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