Thousands of people sit trapped on the Italian island of Lampedusa. A movie we have seen all too often before. Lampedusa is an Italian island and its inhabitants can lay a big chunk of the responsibility at the feet of their own Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. She limited rescue missions at sea, thus eliminating the distribution of migrants over multiple ports, and concentrating them on one tiny island. Her EU-Tunisia deal also was counter-productive, leading to more crossings across the Mediterranean.
All this adds to the spectacle of migration, making the images ever more dramatic, and thus the need for optics on the part of the leaders in charge. Meloni and Von der Leyen, together at the docks of the Lampedusa harbour, stern in the face of stranded migrants all around them. It was a photo opportunity not to miss. The actual policy content of the 10-point plan von der Leyen presented was underwhelming, mostly old wine in new bottles.
The ‘spectacle’ with all its photo opportunities indeed seem to drive the main actors in this all too familiar script. In our fast-paced social media age, a flashy handshake with the Tunisian leader Saied conveys more determination than a slow and boring legislative process. However more effective the latter may ultimately be. This is why von der Leyen, Meloni and Dutch caretaker prime minister Rutte went through the trouble of negotiating with Saied. They needed an image of strength: three members of the European Council taking care of business across the Mediterranean.
There is just one fundamental problem with this way of deal-making. There are many more members of the European Council, who were not in the photos. Members who do not feel the urge to help Italy out, because they don’t want to receive the people on Lampedusa. What is more, EU member states have proven themselves to be more able to deal with the likes of Saied and Erdogan, then to agree with each other on a proper EU asylum system. In short, if you rely on the European Council for a solution to the migration issue, then you can wait until hell freezes over. We do not have that kind of time.
The European Council is neither equipped nor legally allowed to govern or legislate. Let alone both. It thinks it can do deals. Even if you believe that these deals have value, their shelf lives are very limited and relying on them comes at a cost. Years and years of intergovernmental ‘deal-making’ in the European Council has diminished our ability to rely on crafting good future-proof legislation. Europe these days, only acts when problems have already gotten out of hand. Problems such as the most recent migration crisis. Putting the European Council at the helm of European policy, has led to a quasi-permanent crisis-mode.
The good news is, it does not have to be that way. There is a strong asylum and migration package on the table. One that von der Leyen’s own European Commission initiated, and which the EU-legislators have been working on for years. This now needs a final push, especially on the Crisis Regulation, so that we have legal and durable answers to crisis situations such as on Lampedusa. I know, there are no good photo opportunities to be had in the negotiating rooms of the drab Council and Parliament buildings, but this package needs to be adopted before the next European Elections.
The EU is fast losing its capacity to do more than mere crisis management. We can reverse this trend by getting the asylum and migration pact through. We have a perfectly fine legislative process in place; let us use it.
News
Egyptian presidential hopeful targeted by Predator spyware - Washington Post
The Elephant in the (Parliament) Chamber - Arnout Brouwers in Volkskrant
Russian news outlet in Latvia believes European state behind phone hack - The Guardian
Ursula’s secret text messages - Follow the Money
Poland ramps up Ukraine criticism ahead of elections - Financial Times
Ahmed Eltantawy Targeted with Predator Spyware After Announcing Presidential Ambitions - CitizenLab.Ca
Activities
27 September 2023 - Volt Belgium event - Leuven, Belgium
28 September 2023 - Event on abortion rights - European Parliament, Brussels
28 September 2023 - launch of the Guardian European Edition - online
2-5 October 2023 - Plenary Strasbourg
12-13 October 2023 - Democracy, Rule of Law & Fundamental Rights Monitor Group Mission, Sofia Bulgaria