A small inflatable rubber dinghy approaches the coast of Lesbos loaded with refugees through crossing from Turkey, September 2015. Debets/Press Association. All rights reserved. On February 23 this year, I had the pleasure to be in Brussels for the event “CEPS Lab – Reconstructing the Union” as a discussion leader, and in my panel “Rights & Security” we discussed a topic central to our era: migration and effective ways to eradicate smuggling.
Despite different opinions and perspectives there was a general agreement that alternatives to the deadly sea journey need to be established as soon as possible. As long as EU Member States as a whole do not offer safe and legal ways to reach Europe, smugglers’ business will continue to thrive, as they continue to conduct their activities with no respect for basic human rights or international law.
So far, Europe has been mostly focused on stopping migration flows, along with policing and border control.
