On Thursday 21 March, European leaders approved short conclusions on migration, in which they added a reference to migrant smuggling and the fight against traffickers, at the explicit request of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The European Council “reviewed the state of play on migration following the Communication from the Commission (see EUROPE 13369/41) and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to continue pursuing a comprehensive approach to migration as agreed in its conclusions of December 2023. Noting that over 90% of irregular migrants enter the EU with the assistance of smugglers, the European Council supports the Commission’s resolve to strengthen all tools at the EU’s disposal to effectively counter human trafficking and smuggling, while in parallel launching a Global Alliance to respond to this global challenge”, states the adopted text.
This Global Alliance was inaugurated at the end of 2023 in Brussels with some sixty countries (see EUROPE 13302/11).
On 22 March, the EU27 also adopted short conclusions on external relations in which they welcomed the joint declaration on the strategic objectives and global partnership between the EU and Egypt, despite the fact that several delegations did not wish to include these references in the chapter on migration. “The European Council also welcomes the partnership with Mauritania. It underlines the importance of strengthening and developing such strategic partnerships”, the short chapter continues.
Asked about the partnership with Egypt on his arrival at the European Summit on Friday 22 March, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that it was the type of agreement “that we need as a Union if we want the migration pact to function. These agreements, with for example Egypt, are the way to make it happen. An agreement which is broad, which invests in job creation in the countries of origin or countries of transit, which invests in for example renewable energy, and which makes clear that we are partners”.
“If we improve the circumstances of living in countries of origin then the migration pressure will be lower. And we see that agreements like this, for example recently in Mauritania or in Tunisia, actually work and that stop the illegal migration to the Mediterranean Sea”.
“Our common priority is the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum”, commented French President Emmanuel Macron.
He added that the European Council “clearly supported efforts to intensify our dialogue with countries of origin and transit. This is the whole point of the global strategic partnership that the Commission has just signed with Egypt”.
The EU, said Mr Macron, “is now in a position to use all the levers at its disposal to obtain greater cooperation”.
Link to the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/bhb (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic with the editorial staff)