About: Mediterranean crisis
Europe’s COVID crisis does little to disparage Mediterranean migrants
Alfa Jafo has spent the last few months working in the kitchen at a restaurant in the historic city of Agadez in Niger, a launchpad for irregular migration in the Sahel. Asked if the COVID-19 pandemic has killed his dream of going to Europe, Jafo looks genuinely puzzled and says 'No'.
Vessel with 356 people still stranded, after Open Arms disembarkation
Italy’s justice ordered Spanish rescue vessel Open Arms disembarkation in Lampedusa on Tuesday (21 August)but 356 people are still trapped at sea in SOS MEditerranée and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) operated boat.
Migrant rescue NGOs defy European states
A Spanish charity that saved 121 migrants in the Mediterranean last week vowed Monday (5 August) to continue sea rescue operations, the latest NGO to defy moves by European nations to shut down a route exploited by trafficking gangs. Proactiva...
Migrant rescue ship arrives in Malta, ending standoff
The Mediterranean rescue ship Aquarius arrived at Valletta harbour in Malta on Wednesday (15 August) to allow 141 migrants to get off, ending a five-day tug-of-war among EU countries which had seen the vessel banned from docking in several ports.
The European dream remains seductive to Côte d’Ivoire’s youth
The European dream remains firmly anchored in young Ivorians. To fight against departures, Côte d'Ivoire is focusing on awareness and reintegration. EURACTIV France reports.
Building a positive agenda for the Mediterranean
Confidently building a positive agenda for the Mediterranean is critical, and it must be done with strength and conviction, writes Fathallah Sijilmassi.
Youth unemployment worries both sides at EU-Africa summit
A lack of jobs is pushing many young Africans onto the migration path to Europe, and is putting pressure on African and European leaders meeting in Abidjan at the EU-Africa summit. EURACTIV France reports.
S&D chief: ‘Employment for young Africans is a huge challenge’
On the eve of the EU-Africa Summit, Gianni Pittella says that European short-termism in migration policy will not address its root causes, and looks at agribusiness to leverage the continent out of poverty - 'but not at any cost'.
Migration think-tank: Europe is ‘obsessed’ with short-term solution
Migration will dominate the fifth Summit between Africa and the European Union, which will be held in Abidjan on 29 and 30 November. But Europeans keep dictating the agenda, due to lack of political unity in the African Union.
Migrant rescue NGO accuses the EU of ‘hiding the dirt’ under the Mediterranean
Speaking about the refugee crisis and the Lybian and Syrian conflicts, Óscar Camps, director of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, accused the EU of “hiding the dirt under the carpet” of international waters in the Mediterranean sea. EURACTIV Spain reports.
French PM visits Athens to offer support on bailout talks
French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, accompanied by Finance Minister Michel Sapin and Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, will visit Greece today (3 March), aiming to offer political backing for the crucial bailout talks of the indebted country.
Tsipras: Euro-Med summit will unite Europe, not divide it
EXCLUSIVE / The meeting of leaders from Southern European countries taking place in Athens today (9 September) will put Mediterranean issues on the EU agenda, without attempting to create divisions, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Tsipras under pressure to tear down Turkish border fence
The Greek government is facing increasing pressure to take down a fence along its land border with Turkey, and stop refugees from making the deadly journey to Europe via the Mediterranean. EURACTIV Greece reports.
MEPs debate migrant crisis after Juncker’s State of the Union address
On Wednesday (9 September), MEPs held a heated debate on how to tackle the refugee crisis in Europe after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his first ever State of the Union Speech in Strasbourg.
Juncker calls for the redistribution of 160,000 refugees
“160,000 is the number of refugees Europe should take in its arms,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said during his first ever State of the Union speech in Strasbourg on Wednesday (9 September).
Verhofstadt calls for extraordinary summit on migration
Guy Verhofstadt has called for an extraordinary European summit on migration on Thursday (6 August), to address the “increasingly untenable” situation at the EU’s borders.
Immigrant crisis causes outcry in Europe
Jean-Claude Juncker has responded to the public outcry over the immigration crisis by urging European leaders to show solidarity and resist the message of populist parties. EURACTIV France reports.
Italy counts 90,000 sea migrant arrivals so far this year
Italy's coast guard said about 1,800 migrants were rescued from seven overcrowded vessels over the weekend (2 August), while five corpses were found on a large rubber boat carrying 212 others.
EU leaders agree to relocate 40,000 migrants, reject migrant quota system
EU leaders agreed that 40,000 migrants would be relocated from Italy and Greece to other EU countries over the next two years. Another 20,000 would be resettled from outside Europe to EU member states,
Tusk warns Cameron: ‘The fundamental values of the EU are not for sale’
EU Council President Donald Tusk warned the UK that “the fundamental values of the EU are not for sale,” as the British Prime Minister is set to lay out his UK referendum plans during the June Council Summit in Brussels.
EU foreign ministers to agree on Mediterranean intelligence operations
EU foreign affairs ministers will today (22 June) agree on an intelligence gathering operation, the first phase of the bloc’s response to the burgeoning migration crisis in the Mediterranean, but military action against people smugglers will depend on the support of Libya’s National Unity Government and the United Nations.
Why we all need an EU migration agenda
The EU needs to adopt an immigration agenda to help regions that are struggling to cope and offer migrants a safe, legal route to a better life, writes Markku Markkula.
Ban Ki-moon on migration crisis: EU member states must show compassion
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged European countries to “show compassion” and to do more to help migrants.