European and African ministers agreed on Monday to try to improve conditions for migrants in Libya and seek paths such as scholarships for Africans to reach Europe legally, to cut the death toll from smuggling across the Sahara and Mediterranean.
European and African officials say the numbers reaching Europe have finally been falling over the past few months due to better efforts to fight smuggling. But that has also left tens of thousands of migrants trapped in Libya, often detained in conditions rights groups say are dangerous and inhumane.
While they talked about law enforcement measures to combat smuggling, their final statement focused more on efforts to alleviate the journey’s harm.
Ministers from Algeria, Austria, Chad, France, Germany, Italy, Libya, Malta, Niger, Slovenia, Switzerland, Tunisia and Mali were among those backing the statement.
“We had a very intensive exchange, because the questions we are dealing with are very demanding issues,” Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said after the meeting.
“This is why we concentrated on protecting refugees. We had many people with different viewpoints sitting around the table, but nonetheless, on this point we all agreed…. We want to improve the situation of migrants and refugees, particularly in Libya.”
Sommaruga said an improvement in the situation on the central Mediterranean route would be possible only if countries joined together to help stabilize Libya.
They also pledged to create economic alternatives to smuggling, including pilot projects for pathways for Africans to reach Europe legally, such as scholarships and apprenticeships.
“We risk this time to be seen as a dark chapter in European history. If we wish to change that situation, we must get together with those states which themselves are very severely affected by migration,” Sommaruga said.
