Migrant rescue as organized hypocrisy: EU maritime missions offshore Libya between humanitarianism and border control

Abstract

In November 2014, Frontex started its Southern Mediterranean border monitoring operation Triton, followed in June 2015 by the Common Security and Defence Policy anti-smuggling mission EU Naval Force Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med) 'Sophia'. Both operations' outward communication has placed considerable emphasis on the conduct of maritime search and rescue. Still, this commitment was not matched by consistent action. Triton and EUNAVFOR Med have conducted a relatively limited number of search and rescue operations, prioritizing border control and anti-smuggling tasks. This article explains the gap between the European Union missions' humanitarian rhetoric and an operational conduct primarily focusing on curbing irregular migration as a form of organized hypocrisy. Decoupling talk and action allowed Triton and EUNAVFOR Med to reconcile the conflicting expectations arising from European governments' willingness to reduce migrant arrivals and the normative imperative to act against the loss of life at sea. However, the European Union missions' organized hypocrisy had several negative externalities, hindering effective management of the humanitarian crisis offshore Libya.

From “Angels” to “Vice Smugglers”: the Criminalization of Sea Rescue NGOs in Italy

“…The humanitarian crisis in the Central Mediterranean deteriorated in October 2014, after the Italian government suspended its Search and Rescue (SAR) operation Mare Nostrum, replaced by the European Border and Coast Guard (still better known as Frontex) operation Triton. Due to its narrower mandate and smaller operational area, Triton was ill-equipped to address the ongoing humanitarian emergency (Cusumano 2019b). Since then, fourteen different aid organizations have attempted to fill this gap by conducting their own SAR operations.…”

Breaking the legal link but not the law? The externalization of EU migration control through orchestration in the Central Mediterranean

“…Not only did the EU strengthened its orchestration approach by bolstering the Libyan coast guard (see below), but it also substantially decreased its direct involvement in maritime operations. In October 2014, Italy suspended its large 'Mare Nostrum' operation which included a considerable SAR component and has been described as part of an initial humanitarian EU response to an intensifying migration crisis that also included close coordination with NGOs that became active in the SAR domain (Cusumano, 2019). Yet, given the lack of any meaningful burden-sharing agreement among EU member states, Italy received nearly all migrants who were rescued by SAR NGOs on the Central Mediterranean route.…”

Border Deaths

“…We may call it hypocrisy, or even organized hypocrisy (Cusumano 2019), but there is no doubt that the global rise of the phenomenon of border deaths has resulted in a shift: while the issue of border deaths (and the resulting need to rescue migrants) was previously used only or mainly by those who wanted to criticise restrictive migration and border policies, now it is used also by policymakers to justify these.…”