»Das Management der EU-Außengrenzen stärken«

Executive Summary

On 3 October 2013, a boat with around 500 migrants sank off the coast of Lampedusa. The loss of human lives triggered a strong call for action from European leaders and European citizens.

The Task Force Mediterranean (TFM) was set up following the JHA Council of 7-8 October 2013. Its establishment was welcomed at the October European Council. There, it was made clear that determined action should be taken in order to prevent deaths at sea and to prevent such human tragedies from happening again. This action would be targeted at the provision of protection, guided by the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility with a strong external oriented component. In light of this, after the tragedy of Lampedusa, also the Foreign Affairs Council of 18 November discussed ways to strengthen political dialogue and cooperation with third countries. The European Parliament also adopted a resolution on this subject on the 23 of October1.

During the discussion at the meetings of the Task Force and on the basis of the mandate, it emerged that a comprehensive range of measures must be used following an integrated approach for the whole Mediterranean area, as the tragic events of Lampedusa are part of a long standing and comprehensive challenge. They include, among other areas: assistance and reinforced dialogue with countries of origin and transit in line with the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility; a renewed focus on resettlement and regional protection efforts; legal channels to safely access the European Union to be explored, as well as a general focus on increased resettlement efforts; the fight against trafficking and smuggling of human beings and criminal networks; ensuring a speedy and sustainable return of migrants in a humane and dignified manner; strengthening the management of the EU's external borders; implementation of the recently adopted Eurosur Regulation; and the support to Member States facing pressure on their migration and asylum systems.

The actions contained in this communication follow this holistic approach, while focusing on immediate and practical solutions that could complement ongoing activities in the whole of the Mediterranean in the short term. Five main areas of action emerged from the Task Force discussions with a wide geographical scope: from the countries of origin and transit, to prevent migrants from undertaking dangerous journeys, to the shores of the European Union:

(1) Actions in cooperation with third countries.

(2) Regional protection, resettlement and reinforced legal avenues to Europe;

(3) Fight against trafficking, smuggling and organised crime; (4) Reinforced border surveillance contributing to enhancing maritime situational picture and to the protection and saving of lives of migrants in the Mediterranean;

(5) Assistance and solidarity with Member States dealing with high migration pressure;

In line with the outcome of the October European Council it was confirmed during the Task Force meetings that immediate measures will need to be complemented by long- term initiatives, grounded on the best available research, aimed at addressing the root causes of migration (poverty, human rights violations, conflict, lack of economic opportunities, poor working conditions, unemployment, etc). Initiatives should be taken to reform the legal and administrative framework on migration and asylum in countries of transit. Any EU action must be seen in the wider political context of the EU relationship with respective partner countries and regions: it notably cannot be isolated from the European Neighbourhood Policy and from the external migration policy framework of the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM). These actions are by their nature linked to a longer- term dimension and are already included in the EU's long-term strategies. They are also crucial to prevent the persons to undertake perilous journeys to Europe.

All actions under this communication will have to be fully compliant with international human rights standards, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union2, the European Convention for the protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, the principle of non-refoulement and the applicable EU acquis. When personal data are involved, particular care should be devoted to the full implementation of applicable provisions.

This communication is presented for discussion at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 5-6 December. The outcomes of the discussion will be presented by the Presidency to the European Council on 19-20 December.

In the follow-up to this communication, appropriate consideration should be given to the resources and assets that could be made available, within the existing budget constraints, by all actors involved in order to implement the actions and achieve the overall objective of preventing tragedies such as Lampedusa from happening again in the future. The European Commission will regularly report to the Council and the European Parliament on progress made on the implementation of the TFM communication.

PROCESS

In producing this communication, the European Commission, as chair of the Task Force Mediterranean, organised two meetings of the TFM on 24 October and 20 November 2013. The European External Action Service and all Member States took part in those meetings together with the EU Agencies that have a direct stake in the process (EASO, Frontex, Europol, FRA, EMSA).

Other entities have been consulted while developing the communication of the Task Force Mediterranean, including the Associated Countries, UNHCR, IOM, ICMPD, the Migration Policy Centre, the International Maritime Organisation, UNODC, and Interpol. [...]

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