The podcast explores the cost of migration across the Mediterranean and Europe's response. It discusses the financial challenges faced by rescue operations, the motivations behind migration, the controversy and increased budget of agency Frontex, and the European Union's new pact on asylum and migration.
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Quick takeaways
Europe is allocating significant funding towards border enforcement mechanisms to manage irregular migration.
The EU's financial support prioritizes hardline deterrence policies, such as border control and deportation operations.
Deep dives
European response to migration and smuggling across Mediterranean
The podcast explores Europe's response to migration and smuggling across the Mediterranean Sea. It highlights the financial and social challenges faced by European countries, particularly Greece and Italy, due to the influx of irregular migrants. The EU's funding for migration management has increased significantly, with a focus on border enforcement mechanisms. The podcast also discusses the EU's partnerships with third countries to limit migration, often referred to as border externalization strategies. Furthermore, it examines the EU's support for the Libyan Coast Guard and the controversy surrounding their actions. Overall, the episode offers insights into the complex nature of migration management and the ongoing debates surrounding it.
Financial costs and the EU's spending on migration management
The podcast delves into the financial costs of receiving irregular migrants and the EU's budget allocations for migration management. Italy, for instance, spent $1.8 billion on asylum seeker reception in 2018, with only a fraction of it covered by the EU. The EU's budget for migration management has nearly doubled, with increased funding for border enforcement mechanisms. Specific programs, such as the Integrated Border Management Fund, have seen significant budget increases. The episode also highlights how the EU's funding prioritizes hardline deterrence policies, such as border control and deportation operations.
Frontex and the EU's border agency
The podcast discusses Frontex, the EU's border agency, and the controversies it has faced. Frontex has been accused of complicity in pushbacks and illegal operations to prevent asylum seekers from entering European territories. Despite the controversies, Frontex's political support remains strong, and its budget has significantly increased. The EU's funding for Frontex mainly focuses on border enforcement and border management, with plans to increase the number of border guards. The episode concludes by highlighting the need for a more humane and sustainable approach to migration, focusing on safe and legal routes for refugees.
In the third and final programme of this series on the economics of irregular migration across the Mediterranean, the BBC’s Frey Lindsay sits down with two spokespeople from the European Commission to discuss how irregular crossings across the Mediterranean affect European States, and how the bloc is using its resources to attempt to stop them.
Presenter: Frey Lindsay
(Image: Italian coast guard vessels patrol alongside the SOS Méditerranée rescue ship The Ocean Viking, near the Italian port of Ravenna. Image credit: BBC)
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