EU and African leaders to discuss refugee crisis

More than 50 representatives from European and African countries gather in Valletta, Malta, today for a two-day summit on the refugee crisis. It marks the latest attempt by the international community to respond to a situation in which close to 800,000 people enter the EU by sea so far this year.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, who is representing Ireland at the meeting, will attend the EU-Africa summit, which will be followed by a special European Council meeting on tomorrow.

Ireland is one of four EU member states not to be represented at prime ministerial level at the summit, with German chancellor Angela Merkel, British leader David Cameron and French president François Hollande all attending.

The crisis meetings take place amid continuing signs EU countries are struggling to cope with the influx of refugees. The Institute of Migration estimates the number of migrants and refugees reaching Europe by sea this year at 800,000, four times the total number that arrived last year.

About 17,600 migrants entered Greece in three days last weekend, the agency said. Close to 27,000 travelled to Macedonia from Greece last week.

The EU-Africa summit in Valletta, scheduled in April, has taken on renewed importance in light of the deepening refugee crisis, with leaders expected to call for greater co-operation between Europe and Africa to tackle the “push” factors believed to lead to migration.

“Managing migratory flows is a shared responsibility and also has a significant impact on the countries of origin and transit,” the European Council said ahead of the summit, stressing the “root causes” of migration needed to be addressed.

Among the announcements expected at the summit is a €1.8 billion emergency fund for Africa, comprised of funding from the European Commission and individual member states. African leaders are likely to argue the funds are not enough to help African countries, already dealing with an array of domestic problems, to tackle the issue of illegal migration from the continent.

Plans to establish processing centres in north African countries to deal with asylum claims before migrants leave for Europe are also unlikely to gain traction, according to officials.

Yesterday, Slovenia became the latest country to erect "temporary borders" on its frontier with neighbouring countries. Prime minister Miro Cerar said "temporary technical hurdles" will be erected along part of the border with Croatia. The border has become a key transit route for refugees since Hungary erected a border with Croatia, with more than 170,000 migrants and refugees crossing into Slovenia from Croatia since mid-October.

In an address to the Maltese national parliament, European Council president Donald Tusk reiterated his that view Europe must prioritise strengthening its border controls. "The precondition for conducting our own European migration policy is restoring effective control over our external borders," he said, calling on African countries to take responsibility for its own borders and citizens.

“Migration will continue to be a politically destructive issue until true partnership is found between ourselves and others outside Europe, where each country, including our African partners, takes responsibility for its own borders and citizens.”

In an indication of the sensitivities around the issue of using western aid to help curb migration flows, Oxfam Ireland said funds earmarked for Africa should not be used to reduce migration but instead should be used to eradicate poverty. Médecins Sans Frontières also called on leaders ahead of the summit to ensure Valletta "does not result in further formalisation of the outsourcing of the EU's dirty work".