On Sunday, 23 July, the International Conference on Migration was held in Rome, involving not only Europe but also the southern Mediterranean states. At the event – opened by President Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Tajani – was attended by the leaders of the European states most affected by the migratory flow – Greece, Cyprus, Malta, and Spain – as well as the heads of state of Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Mauritania and Libya, the prime ministers of Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Algeria and Lebanon and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait, Turkey, Qatar and Bahrain. The other institutions that participated were the European Union – represented by the presence of Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel – and representatives from various United Nations agencies.
The meeting is observed with particular attention, because finally Europe builds a relationship with the countries bordering the Mediterranean, aiming to move beyond the system of bilateral relations and proposing a multilateral partnership that is not limited to migration emergency that have been arising for the past ten years. A meeting that might seem almost necessary, now that the Council has not yet succeeded in concluding the Pact on Migration and Asylum, and the tragedies at sea indicate a state of emergency that cannot be ignored – it is estimated that this year, the victims of shipwrecks in the Mediterranean are already around two thousand.
Following in the footsteps of the Memorandum of Understanding in Tunis
The summit followed the direction of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in Tunis on 16 July by Von Der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni, Dutch President Mark Rutte and Tunisian President Saied. This marks the initiation of a partnership between Europe and Tunisia based on five pillars: macroeconomic stability, trade and investments, green energy transition, people-to-people relations, and migration. The cooperation's objectives will be the respect for human rights, the fight against criminal networks of traffickers, improved coordination of rescue operations at sea and clear cooperation on the repatriation and reintegration of Tunisian citizens in an irregular situation.
A Holistic Approach to the Migration Issue
The Memorandum of Understanding – commitments and objectives of which were also endorsed by other European and Mediterranean countries participating in Rome – marks a new direction for managing the migration crisis, characterized by a holistic approach. It means that the parties have finally admitted that the phenomenon of irregular migration is closely linked to the level of economic and social development of the countries of departure, just as Saied said: "today’s migration is a consequence of colonialism". This approach has served to convince the Netherlands - one of the "frugal" countries that has repeatedly refused to assist Southern European countries in managing the migration crisis. Mark Rutte specified that "macro-financial assistance will be provided when conditions allow," in order to underscore the importance that the aids are supplied in a really effective way.
Initial Results
Following the Memorandum and the Conference in Rome, the EU has promised to provide 105 million euros - as an initial sum - to Tunisia and to assist the North African country in obtaining loans from the International Monetary Fund to avoid financial collapse and enable economic liberalization. In return, Tunis will control the management of migrants to Europe. In addition to the commitments, there is also the 90.2 million euro share subscribed by the United Arab Emirates.
What Raises Concerns in This Agreement?
Critiques have arisen from NGOs and humanitarian groups, describing the agreement as another attempt by the EU to entrust the management of the migration crisis to African nations, where the treatment of human rights is often highly questionable – as happened with Libya. Saied has expressed negative views in the past towards migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, who have often been turned away at the border with Libya and Algeria and left without food and water.
Another concern revolves around the relationship between the International Monetary Fund and Tunis. The latter had previously refused to adopt the necessary reforms to obtain IMF funds, which will not be as easy to convince this time as the EU and Italy have promised to do.
Why is the Model of the Rome Conference and the Tunis Memorandum Virtuous?
It is a virtuous model because it recognises the interconnectedness between different issues - particularly between the development of Southern Mediterranean countries and the migration crisis - as well as between different geographical areas- the migration crisis is no longer labelled as a European problem, but wider. It doesn't end here. European states are increasingly interested in engaging with North African states in their effort to escape the energy leverage imposed by Russia. It is not coincidental that Giorgia Meloni, since taking office, has already visited Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia: countries that are relevant not only for the migration issue but also for the energy question. Algeria has significantly increased gas supplies to Italy and Europe in recent months, while in Tunisia, there are plans to build an underwater electricity link to Italy.
The interconnections between various crisis areas in the world are becoming more evident. Consider that Russian aggression and the failure to reach an agreement on grain exports have an impact even on already weak scenarios, such as that of North Africa. No state can address challenges that require a global and systemic approach on its own. This approach has already been observed at the Trieste Conference for the Balkans and on the reconstruction of Ukraine - and with which it is thought to conclude similar agreements to those with Tunisia also with Morocco and Egypt.
Mondo Internazionale APS - Riproduzione Riservata ® 2023
Sources:
https://www.euronews.com/my-eu...
https://integrazionemigranti.g...
Share the post
L'Autore
Michele Bodei
Categories
Tag
migration crisis rome European Union