The Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) is meeting in Malta on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 February, under the aegis of the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR). This is its eighth session and it is focusing on the issue of migration (migrants or refugees). This is a crucial subject for the area, both from an economic dimension and from the dimension of foreign policy aspects.
Europe is asked to deepen its knowledge of the causes of this phenomenon which is a cause of concern for all. The theme will be the subject of debates and discussions between the representatives of towns and regions on both sides of the Mediterranean, which will be centred on the reception conditions, including asylum and relocation procedures.
This debate, which takes place around three weeks after the European publication of the Valletta statement on migration (see EUROPE 11718), will be fed by the presentation on Thursday of a joint report from the mayors of Catania, Italy (Vincenzo Bianco), and Piran, Slovenia (Peter Bossman). The two mayors propose a reform of the common European system of asylum, a rebalancing of the load on the countries of initial reception, and a reassessment of the means for reception. The move towards this revision has been approved by the CoR, which discussed it in Brussels in February. There is an underlying theme which particularly concerns Morocco, one of the significant routes in the Mediterranean. The idea, which currently exists in Brussels, of bringing Morocco, like all the countries of the southern shore of the Mediterranean, to sign readmission agreements and to set up detention centres, does not seem to be very pleasing to the partner countries. "Moving the European border control limits towards our southern borders will amount to moving the problem too", a Moroccan official told EUROPE. "We would rather all work together at the origin and to favour triangular cooperation (Europe-Mediterranean-sub-Saharan Africa) which would fix the people on the ground". According to the same source, this is also said to be urgent, due to the risk of new flows of displaced people because of the effects of climate change.
This theme is part of the discussions planned for this session.
Among the contributors to the debate is the mayor of Tripoli, Abdelrafuf Beitelmel. Libya's role is underscored, particularly since the quasi-closure of the route through Turkey. The central route of the Mediterranean passes through Libya.
This country's case leads to the second important point of the session, which is the specific dialogue between the CoR, via ARLEM, with the mayors of big Libyan locations suitable for playing a role in the control of migrant flows.
This cooperation comes under a common project, launched a year ago after the previous session in Nicosia, involving the mayors of Tripoli, Benghazi, Zinten, Sebha, Tobruk and Sirte to cite the main Libyan locations in question. (Original version in French by Fathi B'Chir)