Meeting the Challenges of Irregular Migration in the Southern Mediterranean: The EU-Libya Cooperation

The deteriorating security conditions in Libya since June 2014 has had an overwhelmingly negative impact on the general security situation of the population, and Libya has become a major transit country in the Mediterranean for refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants en route to Europe. While the country is on the edge of collapse, forced displacement in the Southern Neighbourhood is at an all-time high, and the number of deaths in the Mediterranean sea exceeds 3,400. This policy brief is intended to draw the attention of EU policymakers to the crucial importance of this issue and offers potential short- and long-term solutions.
The brief identifies the main challenges in terms of irregular migration to Europe by sea that mainly originate from Libya, and emphasizes the need for immediate action in the context of migration and asylum and the need to deeper integrate Libya into the southern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy in order to stabilize the country. The brief recommends increased engagement by the EU in practical cooperation, such as search and rescue operations to prevent further loss of lives in the Mediterranean. It further calls for increased EU presence in Libya to enhance the country's border management, and for implementing measures in the country to enable safe access to protection. Furthermore, the brief calls for increased EU activity in resettlement to take a higher share of the burden of managing the massive displacement of people in the Southern Neighbourhood. It further calls for concerted efforts towards deepening the cooperation with Libya for more joint actions in the long-term, to meet the significant challenges of irregular and forced migration in the Southern Neighbourhood.