30 september 2014
When over 300 migrants drowned last October in a shipwreck off the Italian island of Lampedusa, I was among those who hoped that their tragic destiny would be a wake-up call for European countries and would change the way they deal with migration. Until then, in fact, Europe had mainly concentrated its efforts on making it harder for migrants to reach the continent. Frontex, the EU border control agency, had been active in reinforcing fortress Europe and the police of some EU member states have been engaged, inter alia, in collective expulsion (“push-back”) operations in violation of international norms.
Has anything changed since then? Very little.The public in some European countries may have paused and reflected for a short while over the tragic fate of these people, but as recent elections show, populist parties built their success in the EU and national parliaments by exploiting anti-immigration feelings. Some hopes were raised by the change of attitude in Rome where Mare Nostrum operations launched by the Italian authorities helped save thousands of migrants. However, recent tragedies proved that these hopes were misplaced.
Just a few days ago, in fact, more than 700 people died in two shipwrecks near Malta and off the coast of Libya. Stories told by the few survivors are dreadful. Will they, this time, bring a change in Europe? I doubt it. Behind the façade of unity shown in European organisations, countries are unwilling to share responsibilities and embrace solidarity. Today’s regulations and practices allow the majority of European countries to leave the challenges of dealing with the influx of migrants to the few countries which are at the borders of Europe.
