Page 16 - Aequitas Europa

15

Egypt and Tunisia. 50 More recent figures can be one on top of another into dinghies - far exceeding
attributed to conflict and instability in Syria, Afghanistan recommended capacity - which are then ferried off across
51
and Iraq.
52
53
In 2015 and 2016 almost 2.5 million people applied for the Med. For those who are lucky enough to make it
54
asylum in the EU. Since October 2016 the new European safely to the other side, the long and uncertain ‘onward
60
Border and Protection Guard deployed more than 1,550 journey’ awaits them.
officers to support member states at the external border, Once on EU soil, continuing the journey further into other
in addition to the existing 100,000 border guards of the EU territories is becoming more and more tightly
55
host states. Frontex, the EU border surveillance agency controlled, and the criminal liability for those who assist
which collects data on illegal crossings of the EU’s ‘illegal aliens’ in their efforts to cross borders can make
external borders detected more than 2.3 million illegal the proposition of supporting migrants particularly
crossings in 2015-16. 56 These measures to protect unattractive. 61 Again, the routes towards a final
borders and monitor and stem the flow of migrants destination are supplied by smugglers who charge
appear to prioritise surveillance and control over the hundreds of euros in exchange for taking migrants across
wellbeing, safety and comfort of those who have risked borders, but the alternative of being caught by the
their lives fleeing broken nations to reach the EU. authorities on public transport often forces them to pay
these excessive fees.
The Journey
EU Efforts
Push factors such as conflict, poverty, and environmental
issues are the main reasons for refugees to embark on a Migration has been an EU priority for years and several
57
journey of refuge, and pull factors are the qualities measures have been taken to manage the crisis as well as
about European state countries which are attractive to to improve the asylum system. According to the 2017
62
those seeking refuge, such as; better standards of living, Eurobarometer poll, 73% of Europeans still want the EU
higher wages, a higher demand for labour, and religious to do more to manage the situation. The EU had budgeted
58
and political freedom. Conflicts in the MENA regions a total of €17.7 bn to tackle the migration crisis during
have seen many refugees attempt to make the crossing 2015-17, with €10.3bn of “planned funding outside of the
from Egypt and Libya into Greece, Turkey and Spain EU, including €2.7bn in humanitarian aid, €0.6bn for the
illegally. 59 Whilst many are successful, the perilous Trust Fund for Syria (also known as the MADA fund) and
63
conditions during crossings have seen the death toll at €2.4 billion for the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa”.
Europe’s borders continues to rise. These crossings are The EU has also increased its capacity to carry out search
organised by smugglers and human traffickers, whose and rescue operations in the Mediterranean and tackle
priority is to capitalise as much as possible on the space criminal networks. Through these efforts, human
available in each boat. In many cases, refugees are piled traffickers and smugglers have been targeted and in 2016

50 https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/libya-civil-war.htm 57 http://www.globalization101.org/push-factors/
paragraph 12 58 http://www.globalization101.org/pull-factors/
51 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7921609/3-16032017- 59 http://www.ipsnews.net/2018/01/thousands-still-dying-sea-en-route-
BP-EN.pdf/e5fa98bb-5d9d-4297-9168-d07c67d1c9e1 europe/
52 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7203832/3-04032016- 60 https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2015/jun/09/a-
AP-EN.pdf/790eba01-381c-4163-bcd2-a54959b99ed6 migrants-journey-from-syria-to-sweden-interactive
53 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/7921609/3-16032017- 61 http://fra.europa.eu/en/theme/asylum-migration-
BP-EN.pdf/e5fa98bb-5d9d-4297-9168-d07c67d1c9e1 borders/overviews/january-2017 , paragraph 7.
54 62 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/priorities/20150831TST
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/external/html/welcomingeurope/default_en. 91035/20170505STO73515/migration-crisis-73-of-europeans-wants-eu-to-
htm do-more
55 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-2292_en.htm 63 http://publications.europa.eu/webpub/com/factsheets/migration-
56 http://frontex.europa.eu/trends-and-routes/migratory-routes-map/ crisis/en/#what-is-the-eu-doing PARAGRAPH 19