The EU’s approach to Libya and the ‘War on Smuggling’

The fight against human smuggling has become a pillar of the EU’s strategy on the governance of migration. The alarming conditions in Libya, the main departure point for the Central Mediterranean route, has been a central issue in this context. There is a consensus among observers and policymakers on the need to tackle this lucrative business and save migrants from the exploitative grasp of criminal networks. However, the EU’s strategy also has implications for resource allocation and the internal political-economic dynamics of both the EU and third states such as Libya. In this flash brief, GLOBUS researchers Michela Ceccorulli and Enrico Fassi present some of these main implications and discuss how the EU can ensure a just governance of migration.