Bulletin 3

Editorial

The EU institutions have groaned back into life following the traditional summer lull, and the externalisation of migration control remains firmly on the agenda – not that there was ever any doubt it would disappear from it.

Thematic and regional developments

Ignoring the root causes of disaster: the EU and Sudan

In June, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU circulated a paper on Sudan to the Working Party on External Aspects of Asylum and Migration (EMWP). The document offered an overview of  the situation of war and displacement in this country, which has been ongoing since April 2023. It omits several issues that are crucial for a meaningful understanding of the situation.

EU support for violent and authoritarian regimes: no end in sight

Migration across the Central Mediterranean has been a consistent topic in the EU for over a decade. In July, the Council’s Working Party on the External Aspects of Migration discussed a paper drafted by the Hungarian Council Presidency. Focusing on Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, it argues that challenges have “deepened and become more complex in 2023.” This includes dangers at sea and shortcomings in living conditions, infrastructure and humanitarian assistance on land. As is customary, there is little mention of the role played by EU migration policy in generating these “challenges”.