The externalization of Europe’s borders: the only solution?

Migration in the Mediterranean has been a crisis factor for Europe for decades. The central Mediterranean route, which leads migrants from Libya and Tunisia to Italy and Malta, has become the most active. This also constitutes the most dangerous route for migrants reaching European shores. To shed light on the issue, the discussion will revolve around ECFR’s policy brief edited by Lorena Stella Martini and Tarek Megerisi, which examines the case study of the Central Mediterranean route to analyse European externalization policies, focusing primarily on migration to Italy. The brief outlines the different phases of European migration policies, shedding light on the consequences of border externalization and analysing the dynamics driving the current migration wave in the central Mediterranean. The implications of such externalization in Libya and Tunisia are also examined, along with European interests in those states and beyond.

The format consists of a closed-door panel discussion, in English under Chatham House rules. A selected group of policymakers, opinion shapers, and experts on Italian and European foreign and migration policy will be with us.

Agenda

Tarek Megerisi, Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR
Lorena Stella Martini, Policy Advisor, Ecco Climate
Raffaella Del Sarto, PhD, Visiting Fellow, Incoming Chair in Mediterranean Studies, European University Institute
Amb. Pasquale Ferrara, Director General for Political Affairs and Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

Moderator: Arturo Varvelli, Director and Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR Rome