FRONTEX, the EU borders agency, calculates 1.2 million illegal crossings at the EU’s external borders in 2015. The EU wants to build a €1.8 billion Africa Trust Fund to help the continent avoid massive outward refugee flows (compared to €3 billion for Turkey alone). But so far governments have delivered only €30 million.
See:
- Opening statement by President Donald Tusk at the Valletta summit on migration (11/11/2015)
- Remarks by President Donald Tusk at the press conference of the Valletta summit on migration (12/11/2015)
Valletta summit on migration, 11-12 November 2015 – action plan and political declaration
EU and African leaders participating to the Valletta summit on migration agreed on a political declaration and a action plan to manage migration flows in all their aspects.
- Valletta summit, 11-12 November 2015 – action plan
- Valletta summit, 11-12 November 2015 – political declaration
- Visit the meeting page
- 2015 Valletta summit on migration – background on EU action
- Council Conclusions on Measures to handle the refugee and migration crisis (09/11)
focussed on relations/with Africa and the informal council meeting (which focused on implementing current agremenets made on the 160.000 asylum seekers) afterwards, highlighting some of the positive words – but saying that the concrete action is too limited, and insufficiently focused on ensuring human rights, through tackling the sources of poverty and inequality in Africa, with civil society involvement, reinforcing effective humanitarian aid and support, particularly at the point of entry and re-location, building safe and legal access, and well as investing in integration as a positive force for Europe. The role of civil society in the design of policies as well as the delivery of services is crucial, particularly ensuring the voice of migrants.
