The Future of Euro-Mediterranean Migration and Partnership. A Perspective from the Southern Mediterranean

Abstract

In order to explore the future of Euro-Mediterranean migration and partnership, it is necessary to make an incursion into the past and the present. Two observations will serve as a point of departure: the importance of migration in Euro-Mediterranean relations; the failure of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) and the handling of the migration issue. Migration is an important component of relations between Europe and the South of the Mediterranean. More than ten million immigrants from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean live in Europe. They transfer about 15 to 20 billion Euros annually to their countries of origin, far more than foreign direct investment and public development aid2. And yet the EMP, itself in breakdown, neglects or even ignores this fact. The EMP has been out of action for a long time. Migrations around and across the Mediterranean are currently in crisis. The purpose of this Communication is to consider their future, on the basis of the dual failure of the EMP and the treatment of the migration issue. Thus, we will deal with the question in three parts: the first will focus on the failure of the EMP, the second will deal with the limits of handling the migration issue and migration policies, and the third will focus on the prospects for Euro-Mediterranean migration and partnership.