2
100 GSM 09 E
GSM
100 GSM 09 E rev 1
Original: English
NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Mediterranean and middle east special Group
MIGRATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND CHALLENGES
Report
Antonio CABRAS (Italy)
Rapporteur
International Secretariat December 2009
Assembly documents are available on its website, http://www.nato-pa.int
i
100 GSM 09 E rev 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction 1
II. MIGRATION PATTERNS ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN 1
III. ILLEGAL MIGRATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN 2
IV. SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF MIGRATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN 3
V. POLICING MIGRATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN 4
VI. THE RESULTS OF IMPROVED CO-OPERATION AND BORDER CONTROL 6
VII. positive consequences of migration across the mediterranean 7
VIII. CONCLUSIONS 7
10
100 GSM 09 E rev 1
I. Introduction
1. Migration within the Mediterranean region is a long-established phenomenon with deep historical and socio-political causes and implications. The region has traditionally been an economic and cultural crossroads, but that role has increased in recent years. From the East, the Mediterranean serves as a transit region for migrants travelling from the Middle East and Asia into Europe. From the South, the Mediterranean is a gateway to Europe for migrants from North African and Sub-Saharan Africa.
2. The reality of migration in the region has become more complex recently for a variety of reasons. First, the inclusion of Cyprus and Malta in the European Union (EU) created two new portals to the EU in the Mediterranean. Second, traditional regional migrations within the Mediterranean basin have been overtaken by the use of North Africa, Turkey, and Balkan countries as transit zones for migrants from more distant regions. Third, the Schengen Accord on the free movement of people in its member states puts increased pressure on Southern European countries that are the first destination of undocumented immigrants from across the Mediterranean. They effectively become the gatekeepers of Europe and must cope with the general difficulties of regulating the flow of migrants.
3. In this context, recent changes in EU policy on border control and external relations have pushed Southern European countries down a path of increasingly restrictive immigration policies. The key strategies underpinning these policy shifts are bilateral co-operation to control coastal areas and land borders; the signing and effective implementation of "readmission agreements" with non-EU countries of transit to regulate the involuntary return of unauthorized migrants; and encouraging the development of immigration controls in neighbouring non-EU countries.
4. The purpose of this report is to answer some of the basic questions driving these trends. First, what countries are the sources of migrants and what are the evolving patterns of migration in the region? Second, what measures are European states taking to control the flow of migration? Thirdly, what are the social, economic and, in particular, security consequences of migration in the Mediterranean region? Finally, what are some potential means to better manage the flow of migrants?
II. MIGRATION PATTERNS ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN
5. Migrants across the Mediterranean region fit a variety of profiles. Some are temporary workers who plan to work in Europe for a limited period of time and remit most of their earnings to their country of origin. Others are political refugees seeking asylum in Europe as a result of war or persecution in their home country. Of particular concern, however, are undocumented migrants. By definition they exist outside of the legal framework and therefore are not subject to scrutiny before entering Europe. This has obvious consequences, in particular for the security of European residents. Although the vast majority of undocumented migrants are simply seeking employment, some may be associated with criminal and terrorist networks. The existence of clandestine networks that specialize in human trafficking is a breach of European security and their success in evading detection is a cause for serious concern. Another issue in need of special attention is the protection of the human rights of illegal migrants and their families arriving often in overloaded and dangerous boats in an attempt to escape poverty and conflict. According to IOM figures, about 36,000 people made it from North Africa to the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2008[i], while arrivals by sea to the Canary Islands reached 9,181 in the same year[ii].
6. Several paths of migration exist across the Mediterranean. The first consists of South-North movements from North Africa to southern European countries, mainly Spain and Italy, and to a lesser extent Greece and France. It also includes migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who transit through North Africa on their way to Europe. Recent data from the International Organization on Migration (IOM) 2008 Report on ‘World Migration’ indicates that Europe is also increasingly becoming a destination for migrants from Egypt and Lebanon, and to a lesser extent, Syria[iii].
7. The second path for migrants is from the South East to the North, which involves migrants from Asian countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. Those migrants often transit through Turkey and more stringent European controls have resulted in more migrants remaining in Turkey. But the final receiving countries of these South-East-North migrations, mostly clandestine arrivals by sea on the islands of Lampedusa (Italy) and Fuerteventura (Spain), are Spain and Italy, and to a lesser extent, Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
8. The third route is loosely described as North East to West, and mainly concerns Albanians who migrate to Greece and Italy across the Adriatic.
III. ILLEGAL MIGRATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN
9. The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has estimated that some 100,000 to 120,000 undocumented migrants cross the Mediterranean each year, with about 35,000 coming from sub-Saharan Africa, 55,000 from the south and east Mediterranean, and 30,000 from Middle Eastern countries. Despite their relative poverty compared to residents in the countries they plan to migrate to, research conducted in Morocco and Ceuta in 2005 suggests that undocumented migrants are neither the richest nor the poorest in their countries of origin.
10. The Straits of Otranto between Italy and Albania was a ‘hot spot’ for illegal migration throughout the 90s. When Albania’s Communist regime fell, more than 50,000 Albanians crossed the Adriatic in two successive waves of massive arrivals.[iv] During the two crises suffered by Albania in 1991 and 1997, waves of desperate Albanians crossed the 70km of sea separating their country from Italy. More recently, Albania has become a major transit point for Western Europeanbound migrants originating from Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
11. Today, however, many undocumented immigrants reach Italy from Libya. Thousands of African, Asian and Middle Eastern migrants fleeing wars and poverty use Libya as a launching pad for the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean to Italy and Malta – often in rickety, overloaded boats. In particular, undocumented migrants and refugees from East Africa, who were previously using Egypt as a transit country to Europe, have now opted for the Libyan route as the result of better patrolling of the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Besides being physically close to Italy, Libya has a long and relatively unpopulated coastline. According to the IOM, approximately 36,000 people crossed from North Africa to the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2008: a sharp increase from the 17,000 who arrived in 2007. In addition, at least 1.5 million undocumented migrants remain in Libya which feeds the constant flow of migrants to Europe.
12. The Straits of Gibraltar is another ‘hot spot’ for illegal migration across the Mediterranean. The flow of migrants from Morocco to Spain has grown steadily over the past five years, with Morocco no longer just a country of origin but increasingly one of transit for migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa. In 2000, most undocumented migrants were Moroccan; today the trend has shifted and nearly 80% of the migrants are sub-Saharan Africans attempting to enter Europe through Morocco.[v]
13. Each year, tens of thousands of sub-Saharan Africans are believed to migrate to Spain through Morocco. These migrants generally enter Morocco from Algeria after crossing the Sahara and come from an increasingly diverse array of African countries including Nigeria, Senegal, the Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Cameroon. Recently, even migrants from Asian countries, such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, have transited through Morocco. Once in Morocco, these migrants often attempt to enter the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla by scaling the tall border fences separating these enclaves from Morocco.
14. The Spanish territory of the Canary Islands has become the most popular destination for sub-Saharan Africans attempting to reach Europe. Spanish efforts to prevent illegal immigration include increasing the levels of surveillance of the waters around the Canary Islands and improving co-operation with Morocco. Those efforts appear to be showing results as the number of undocumented migrants arriving in the Canary Islands has fallen from 32,000 in 2006 to 12,478 in 2007 and 9,181 in 2008.[vi] This pattern demonstrates the success of diplomatic and cooperative efforts to reduce the flow of undocumented migrants.
IV. SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF MIGRATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN
15. During the Cold War, western countries viewed the Mediterranean as NATO’s ‘southern flank’, and as a potential battleground between the Soviet bloc and NATO. The Straits of Gibraltar and the Channel of Sicily were viewed as strategic points within that context. Today, however, the Mediterranean is more of a gateway between the North and the South, that is to say between highly industrialized, prosperous and stable countries, and countries whose economic and political stability is more fragile.
16. Since the beginning of the 90s, concerns have grown in Europe about irregular migration across the Mediterranean, which is the most important route through which undocumented immigrants seek to reach the EU. Sites such as the Straits of Gibraltar or the Channel of Sicily have retained their strategic importance, not as NATO’s southern flank but as problematic ‘hot spots’ to be secured against illegal immigration, organized crime, and transnational terrorism.
17. Part of this concern is based on the fact that illegal immigration often involves criminal networks. The transport of undocumented migrants from Albania to Italy, for example, has been in the hands of the so-called ‘Albanian Mafia’. These Albanian smuggling gangs are linked to larger international criminal syndicates trafficking in drugs, arms, and prostitution. This nexus between illegal migration and international criminal organizations is a source of obvious security concerns.
18. Large scale migration is also increasingly viewed as a potential security risk across Europe because the flow of legitimate and undocumented migrants can serve as a conduit that allows transnational terrorists to gain entry to Europe and provides immigrant communities in Europe in which they can conceal themselves. The Madrid train bombings were planned and conducted by immigrants from North Africa. The terrorists responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington DC in 2001 planned much of their operation from within the immigrant community in Hamburg. The Finsbury Park mosque and the immigrant community it served in London became a recruiting ground for terrorists including the infamous “shoe bomber” Richard Reid. It is increasingly evident that Europe is a target for terrorist action as well as a springboard for attacks against targets in the broader transatlantic space. In this context, the Secretary General of NATO has noted the increasing relevance of the Mediterranean region in transatlantic security.
19. There is no doubt that the vast majority of immigrants are law-abiding individuals whose migration is motivated by the chance of living a better life. It also should be carefully acknowledged that the overwhelming majority of immigrants are not security threats. But it cannot be ignored that threats to European security have arisen from the immigrant community and that this must be addressed in a comprehensive manner.
20. The question is how can European states, either individually or collectively, do so while preserving the benefits of immigration? Europe cannot close the door to migration across the Mediterranean out of security concerns. Yet, Europe has an obligation to protect its residents from the acts of those whose political ideology justifies widespread violence. Doing so should not be interpreted as a threat to immigrant communities; terrorist violence is indiscriminate, and measures to prevent it protect both the indigenous and immigrant communities in Europe. In fact, this can be particularly beneficial to the immigrant community which may unfairly bear the burden of suspicion and prejudice after terrorist violence occurs that can be traced to a very small minority hiding within their ranks.
21. A number of states have turned to increased surveillance as a partial solution to the security issues raised by migration across the Mediterranean. Since 2003, the Spanish Interior Ministry has tripled its number of antiterrorism operatives, and has assigned hundreds of agents to specifically tracking radical Islamist networks. Spanish law enforcement has also formed task forces to keep a closer eye on immigrant neighbourhoods. France is taking a similar approach and special police cells have been formed in every French department for surveillance of radical Islamist bookstores, long-distance calling centres, and other locations that attract extremists.[vii]
22. This approach, however, seeks to minimize security threats once they are within the national territory. A more forward thinking approach is to prevent illegal immigration and its potential security consequences in the first place through improved border control. Much of the effort in this area has been in collaborative projects with Southern Mediterranean countries.
V. POLICING MIGRATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN
23. The intensification and expansion of policing activities in and across the Mediterranean sea is the main tool for combating irregular migration, human smuggling and other transnational challenges. Increased attention has also been devoted to the growing deployment and expansion of semi-military security forces to deal with illegal migration by sea and with the growing involvement of European navies in the Mediterranean area.[viii] NATO naval forces have also been involved in immigration control in the Mediterranean. In 2002, NATO’s Mediterranean fleet was dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean under Operation Active Endeavour. The official goal of the mission was to combat terrorism but important objectives such as preventing irregular migration and trafficking in arms and human beings in the Mediterranean basin were also pursued. Moreover, law enforcement co-operation among nations north and south of the Mediterranean has also increased over the last few years. A series of EU agreements and guidelines on the management of illegal migration has been put into place and the EU has put great pressure on southern Europe to control the phenomenon of ‘illegal migration’ in a more aggressive way.[ix] However, there is insufficiently effective legislation concerning the management of ‘legal migration’ at the EU level, reflecting the different interests at stake and the diverse experiences of European countries in dealing with the matter.