Europe changes its strategy on immigration

(Baonghean.vn) - On Friday, October 31, Italy officially confirmed the end of the Mare Nostrum campaign in the Mediterranean region. It is known that from November 1, a campaign called Triton Frontex will replace Mare Nostrum.

Operation Mare Nostrum was launched in October 2013 after disasters in Lampedusa and Malta that killed nearly 400 migrants. Starting on November 1, Triton, in partnership with Frontex, the agency that oversees Europe’s external borders, will take over the rescue of migrants at sea. Triton will focus on migration routes originating from Libya and Egypt.

Migrants are rescued by an NGO off the coast of Libya on October 4. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Italy claims that its patrol boats have saved 150,000 people while operating in international waters off Libya in the Mediterranean. Italy has spent around 114 million euros on refugee rescue operations and is frustrated by the lack of help from other European Union members. The risk of death on these sea routes has doubled in the past two years, according to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Italy has finally decided to force other countries to join in an operation called Frontex.

With a very limited budget (90 million euros), the agency will rely on the manpower and other resources of the alliance members. So far, 21 EU members have offered to cooperate at very different levels. Triton will provide four planes, one helicopter, seven ships and 65 personnel responsible for supporting Italy. The budget for the above activities will be 2.9 million euros per month. Previously, Italy spent 9 million euros per month with about 900 soldiers on duty every day in the Mediterranean.

A number of organisations, including Amnesty International, fear further loss of life after the end of Operation Mare Nostrum. “Triton is not a search and rescue operation, it is a monitoring mission,” said Nicolas Beger, director of Amnesty Europe in Brussels. “In the current tense situation in some Mediterranean countries, the flow of migrants will certainly increase.”

The European Commission did not deny the differences between Mare Nostrum and Triton, but assured that the rescue mission would continue. Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano assured that “rescue operations will continue in accordance with the law of the sea”. Italy will be responsible for managing Triton’s equipment and resources and ensuring the reception of migrants. In response to concerns raised by NGOs, the European Commission promised to conduct a thorough assessment of Triton in 2015.

Chu Thanh

According to LeMonde October 31