Migration partnerships
Italy demands “renewed reflection” on how Libya can control migration for the EU /// Member states seek to step up work of immigration liaison officers /// New EU migration “action files” on Ethiopia, Somalia and Jordan /// Frontex failing to prevent illegal expulsions from Albania and North Macedonia, report warns /// New report on Algeria’s role in the European border regime /// Expanded Frontex operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the way /// European Parliament discusses human rights aspects of EU’s “Memoranda of Understanding” with Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan /// UK and Morocco commit to “strengthened security cooperation” on “illegal migration” /// EU and US “reaffirm” the “strong transatlantic partnership,” including on “irregular migration”
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Italy demands “renewed reflection” on how Libya can control migration for the EU
A document circulated by the Italian delegation to the Council of the EU on 5 June calls for “renewed reflection at ministerial level on how to respond to the current situation,” with an “even more unstable” situation in Libya. This presents “a concrete risk that ongoing efforts and cooperation between Libya and the European Union in the field of migration management could be jeopardised,” says the document.
The document makes no proposals, aside from calling for a ministerial discussion, which took place at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 13 June. The press release from that meeting offers no details, merely saying: “When discussing the external dimension of migration, ministers also touched upon the situation in Libya and its consequences for migratory flows towards Europe.”
“Intensifying operational and strategic cooperation with partner countries”: member states seek to step up work of immigration liaison officers
The EU maintains a network of immigration liaison officers, posted to countries abroad to gather information on migration patterns, assist with organising deportations, and discussing legal migration with host country authorities, amongst other things.
However, “progress towards a fully operational ILO Network remains limited,” according to a recent document circulated to member states by the General Secretariat of the Council (pdf). It notes that the Polish Presidency:
“…considers it necessary and timely to hold a strategic exchange among the EMWP delegates on the ILO Network’s role in intensifying operational and strategic cooperation with partner countries, with particular emphasis on the external dimension of migration.”
The document urges member states to find candidates for vacant EU migration liaison officer posts (in Bangladesh, Mali, Morocco, Sudan, The Gambia, Tunisia and Türkiye). It also lists the locations of Frontex’s liaison officers:
- Ankara (covering Türkiye);
- Belgrade (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia);
- Tirana (Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia);
- Dakar (Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia);
- Chisinau (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine);
- Islamabad (Pakistan);
- Rabat (Morocco).
The document calls for increased information-sharing “for early warning purposes.” It says that “Frontex and Europol could play a greater role in this regard.” Member states are invited to offer their views on:
- how ILOs can be used to enhance “the EU’s external migration management”;
- how ILO activities can “be better integrated with other EU external migration instruments”;
- which other non-EU states EMLOs should be deployed to, beyond the current list.
The document was discussed by the EMWP on 18 June.
New EU migration “action files” on Ethiopia, Somalia and Jordan
EU and member state officials are working on a new “action file” on Ethiopia and Somalia, according to an April agenda of the Operational Coordination Mechanism on the External Dimension of Migration (MOCADEM).
MOCADEM action files are designed to guide coordinated action and messaging by EU member states and institutions in discussions on migration with other states – in this case, Ethiopia and Somalia. The new action file comes after the Polish Presidency proposed in February (pdf) to create “an action file on the Horn of Africa region, covering notable Ethiopia and Somalia.”
The February document also proposes a “new action file on Jordan that could be presented to MOCADEM in April,” due to the EU signing a “Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership” with the kingdom. Jordan is mentioned in a MOCADEM agenda for 7 April (pdf), alongside Tunisia, Mauritania and Egypt.
Frontex failing to prevent illegal expulsions from Albania and North Macedonia, report warns
In its twelfth annual report, Frontex’s Consultative Forum on fundamental rights criticises the treatment of migrants and refugees by the authorities in Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, all states where Frontex has operations in place.
The report notes that in Albania, “unaccompanied children are not directed to the national child protection unit, and in reception centres, they share accommodation with adults, which is not in line with child protection standards.”
Frontex staff in Albania need an “update” to their “knowledge on the identification of trafficking in human beings,” the report says. It also calls for Frontex to prevent illegal expulsions by the Albanian authorities, described as “instances in which people were returned to Greece without removal orders.”
In North Macedonia, the Forum found that migrants housed in the Vinojug Temporary Transit Centre are “de facto detained, without being provided with proper information and documentation.” There were also “indications that on some occasions, informal returns to Greece occurred.” The centre itself is described as “a hazard for the wellbeing of both migrants and staff operating within the facility.”
In Serbia, members of the Forum “observed insufficient access to basic services such as food, water and clothing at reception points”.
New report on Algeria’s role in the European border regime
A new report analyses the Algerian government's involvement in border and immigration control projects promoted and funded by European governments, as well as by the Arab League.
This represents a marked shift from the past, when the country "was considered extremely reluctant to formally integrate into the European border regime, near-consistently refusing to take part in Europe-funded ‘border management’ projects," the report notes.
Expanded Frontex operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the way
On 12 June, the European Commission signed a new agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Frontex operations in the country. The agreement is based on the expanded mandate of the 2019 Frontex Regulation and replaces a previous agreement based on the 2016 Frontex Regulation.
The agreement means Frontex will be able to “to carry out joint operations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and deploy its standing corps anywhere along the country's borders, including on the borders with neighbouring non-EU countries, as well as at border crossing points including airports.” Previously, operations were restricted to borders with EU states.
European Parliament discusses human rights aspects of EU’s “Memoranda of Understanding” with Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan
On 25 June, the European Parliament’s human rights sub-committee was due to hold a public hearing on “the human rights dimension of the EU Memoranda of Understanding in its South neighbourhood (Mauritania, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan with a focus on the use of EU funds).”
At the time of writing this bulletin, the meeting had not yet taken place and no detailed agenda was available. Lawyers for the Parliament have previously criticised the EU-Tunisia agreement, arguing that it requires democratic oversight despite its legally non-binding nature.
A recent statement by Tunisian activists condemned the EU’s relationship with Tunisia, noting that faced with people seeking safety and protection, “Europe raises its shields and pushes its borders southward, outsourcing the brutal management of a racist and inhumane deportation process. Hence, every violation is permitted — even funded.”
The same countries were up for discussion at a MOCADEM meeting on 17 April (pdf), though no further details of that discussion have been made public.
UK and Morocco commit to “strengthened security cooperation” on “illegal migration”
The UK and Morocco recently agreed to “strengthened security cooperation in counterterrorism, illegal migration and serious organised crime will enhance mutual resilience from these threats”. This cooperation “will be underpinned by an agreed information and intelligence exchange,” says a statement published following a meeting that saw the two countries enter into an “Enhanced Strategic Partnership.”
EU and US “reaffirm” the “strong transatlantic partnership,” including on “irregular migration”
On 2 and 3 June an EU-US justice and home affairs ministerial meeting took place in Warsaw. Irregular migration was one of the topics of discussion, at a time when the Trump administration is encouraging and committing flagrant violations of the law and human rights abuses as part of its “mass deportations” agenda. The Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, which hosted the meeting, has published no details of what was discussed.
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