Category Archives: Analysis

by | 04 Jan 2010 · 21:41

IAI Analysis: Control of Illegal Immigration and Italian-EU Relations

An analysis by Bruno Nascimbene, with the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), CONTROL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND ITALIAN-EU RELATIONS:

“Controlling maritime borders and flows of illegal immigrants in the Mediterranean is an issue where sharp tensions have been evident for some months now at the national, EU and international levels. Tensions evidenced by the reactions and outcry provoked by operations involving Italian naval units which have intercepted boats carrying migrants and sent them back to their ports of departure, most notably in Libya. The migrants concerned were deemed to be illegal regardless of their possible asylum-seeker status. Such interventions have raised, and continue to raise, concerns over the fate of the persons involved, especially as regards the protection of their fundamental human rights.”

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by | 04 Jan 2010 · 20:11

EU-Med Relations: “North Africa a Transit Region for International Migration”

An interesting post on the EU-Med Relations Blog:

“In the year 2009 the European continent saw a decrease of 17 percent in irregular border crossings from the Southern Mediterranean rim. This sharp drop of the immigration flow heading to the “privileged” shores of the European Union is caused by the EU’s border control and externalisation policy against irregular immigration. In the consequence, the northern African states and Turkey are confronted with an increasing migration pressure which their authorities are unable to cope efficiently and according to international human rights rules.”

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by | 23 Dec 2009 · 21:01

Libya’s Selective Immigration Enforcement and Italy’s Foreign Policy Concessions

Dr Emanuela Paoletti, a junior research fellow at Somerville College, Oxford, has an article in the electronic journal Pambazuka News discussing “Libya’s selective enforcement of restrictive immigration policies as a means of gaining foreign policy concessions from Italy.”

“Since the late 1990s, immigration from Libya to Italy had increased significantly, from less than 5,000 in 2000 to 30,000 in 2008. In May 2009, Gaddafi made his first trip to Italy, which was followed by a second visit on the occasion of the meeting of the G20. Concomitant with these visits, there was a drastic reduction in migration from Libya. From 1 May 2008 to 31 August 2008, 15,000 people arrived to Italy from Libya; in the same period in 2009 only 1,400 have landed on Italian shores. The Italian minister of interior, Roberto Maroni could recently announce, immigration from Libya in 2009 has decreased by 90 per cent compared to 2008. What explains the drastic decrease in ‘illegal’ migration from Libya to Italy?”

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by | 20 Jun 2009 · 10:43

Europe’s Mediterranean border: of boats and men (Analysis)

From 2007:   Shift Mag, S Palidda and P Cuttitta, Europe’s Mediterranean border: of boats and men

‘[E]normous financial and diplomatic efforts are being made by European political actors to tackle undesired immigration arriving by sea from North Africa. This is partly due to the fact that illegal arrivals by sea (including casualties) have a much stronger impact on the media and public opinion than overstayers or illegal immigrants entering the country by land. But while European countries try to come up with adequate solutions to deal with illegal immigration, a daily tragedy is taking place along Europe’s Mediterranean border….’

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by | 20 Jun 2009 · 10:37

Treaty on Friendship, Partnership and Cooperation Between Italy and Libya: New Prospects for Cooperation in the Mediterranean? (Analysis)

Documenti AIA: N Ronzitti, The Treaty on Friendship, Partnership and Cooperation Between Italy and Libya: New Prospects for Cooperation in the Mediterranean?

Excerpt:

“Art. 19 of the Treaty calls for two things in … respect [to the fight against illegal immigration, in particular via sea]. On the one hand, previous agreements and protocols on immigration, in particular those stipulated in 2007, are to be implemented, and the approximately 2000 km of Libyan coast patrolled by mixed crews on patrol boats provided by Italy. Six patrol boats are supposed to enter into operation on 15 May 2009.10 On the other, Libyan land borders are to be controlled by a satellite detection system jointly financed by Italy and the European Union. The system is quite expensive – even though the financial commitment has not yet been determined– but it does not involve the deployment of Italian police forces.”

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Filed under Analysis, Italy, Libya, Mediterranean