EU leaders abandon core values in migration deal with Libya

Friday 3 February 2017 

Today EU leaders dealt a further blow to the rights of refugees and migrants by agreeing a deal that outsources migration to Libya, a country marred in conflict and which has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Prime Minister Theresa May were among the EU heads of state and government meeting in Malta today to discuss migration and other issues. 

The new agreement between Italy and Libya will see Italy and the EU take part in and finance migration control in Libya, including support for refugee and migrant reception centres in Libya, returns from Libya to countries of origin and border control.

Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland Chief Executive, said: “The primary aim of this deal is to prevent refugees and migrants reaching Europe with no regard for safeguarding their right to safety and dignity.

“EU leaders say they are committed to human rights and international law but Italy has struck a dodgy deal with Libya which undermines these principles. The fact that all EU governments have welcomed the Libya deal shows their hypocrisy, particularly because it makes no attempt to increase Libya’s commitments to people’s rights whilst shutting off the route to Europe.

“So-called ‘irregular migrants’ arriving in Italy have told Oxfam about the horrific abuses they faced in Libya, a place they call ‘hell’. The agreement with Libya deals a serious blow to core EU values and exposes desperate people to suffering and even death by forcing them to seek more dangerous routes to safety.”

ENDS

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Dublin: Alice Dawson on +353 (0) 83 198 1869 / alice.dawson@oxfamireland.org

Belfast: Phillip Graham on 028 9089 5959 / 07841 102535 / phillip.graham@oxfamireland.org

Notes to editors:

• Oxfam spokespeople are available for interviews, including in Dublin, Belfast, Brussels and Washington
• On Thursday, the Italian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Libya. It commits Italian and EU funding for migration management.
•  In their Malta declaration, EU heads of state and government state “the EU welcomes and is ready to support Italy in its implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding”.
• The memorandum does not include any obligations for Libya to increase its commitment to international law and human rights. It only refers to "international obligations and human rights agreements to which the two countries are parties". Libya is not even signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.
• The Italian commitment to provide support to regional authorities in Libya is only linked to the presence of irregular migrants, rather than being delivered based on the actual needs of people.
• Security measures and support to border construction and control is linked to irregular migration, with no apparent safeguards for human rights.
• Oxfam has laid out guiding principles for EU cooperation with Libya that puts the rights, the safety and the dignity of people at the forefront.
• Oxfam is working with migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy. Their testimonies are documented in the report ‘Hotspots – Rights denied’ (pages 31-34).
• According to data from the Italian Ministry of Interior, 39% of people that arrived in Italy in 2016 were granted international protection.