VU University Amsterdam held a three day Exploratory Workshop in October 2009 on “The Human Costs of Border Control in the Context of EU Maritime Migration Systems.”
Executive Summary of the Workshop’s Goals:
“The ongoing European harmonisation of migration and border control policies has as a side-effect unclear, but definitely rising numbers of fatalities at European borders (different estimates suggest anything between 1.000 and 10.000 annually). This process has considerable consequences for EU institutions, governments, the administrations of EU Member States, for migrants and people assisting migrants, and neighbouring countries. The consequences are diverse in nature, concerning policy, institutions, social cohesion and conflict, and law. However, while these consequences of the Europeanisation of migration policy are the subject of numerous academic studies, until now, the human costs of border control has received only isolated academic attention. There are insufficient data, and a comprehensive analysis is lacking. This workshop aims at bringing together leading European academics from different disciplines working on this issue. The immediate aim of the workshop is to integrate the analyses of those academics, with a view to developing a comprehensive analysis. The ultimate aim is to create a network engaging in comprehensive data gathering and analysis, leading to concrete suggestions to limit the undesirable side-effects of European migration policies.”
Draft workshop papers (which are not to be quoted or cited to without prior consent of the author) included the following:
Martin Baldwin-Edwards
The Human Costs of Border Control: Greece
Anat Ben-Dor
The un-checked dangers of the Israeli-Egyptian Sinai border
Hein de Haas
Trans-Saharan and Trans-Mediterranean migration – Questioning the transit hypothesis
María Hernández-Carretero
Boat migrants’ perspectives on risk
Ernesto Kiza
The Human Costs of Border Control at the External EU Borders between 1999 and 2004
Silja Klepp
A double bind: Malta and the rescue of unwanted migrants at sea
Mehdi Lahlou
The Human and Political Costs of Irregular Migration: Morocco case
Jorrit J. Rijpma
Frontex: successful blame shifting of the Member States?
Click here for more of the Workshop’s working materials.
MIGRANTS AT SEA 