Members of Libya's Red Crescent carry bodies of drowned migrants trying to reach Europe, in Tajura, a coastal suburb of Tripoli, capital of Libya, on June 27, 2017. Picture by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua News Agency/PA Images. All rights reserved. The key political question in recent months has been how to reduce the number of unauthorized migrants that arrive to Europe’s shores in rickety vessels from politically unstable countries in North Africa. The overwhelming majority of the more than 134.000 migrants that arrived by sea to Europe this year landed on Italian shores (approximately 103.300). Most of the migrants landing in Italy departed from wartorn Libya.
Italy seems to have found a solution for reducing these numbers. According to figures released by the Italian Ministry of Interior, the numbers of migrants dropped from 23.524 (June 2017) to 5.600 (August 2017). Last year, Italy counted more than 25.000 arrivals per month and in August 2015 more than 130.000.
This decrease in numbers is largely based on a Memorandum of Understanding, an informal political agreement, between Italy and Libya that aims to “combat illegal immigration” and “reinforcing the border security” between the two countries. Although the agreement was already concluded in February 2017, it seems that technical and financial support, as well as training of Libyan security personnel became effective only a few months after its conclusion. Marco Minniti, Italy’s minister of interior, described the decreasing number of arriving migrants as a political success and wants Europe to pay its share. Indeed, the EU did pay its (limited) share. In February this year, EU member states enhanced the Malta Declaration that envisages “training, equipment and support to the Libyan national coast guard and other relevant agencies” and in April 90 million euros were earmarked for Libya in the EU Trust Fund for Africa.
