An action plan adopted at the end of the Valletta Summit today promises cooperation between EU and African countries on economic development but it is vague on migrant re-admission programmes but makes no mention of the setting up of refugee camps in North Africa itself.
The plan starts with a commitment to promote cheaper, safer, legally-compliant and faster transfers of remittances by migrants, a key request of the African countries since their economies benefit substantially from such remittances.
There are also vague promises to address instability and crises, prevent new conflicts and support state-building, rule of law and good governance.
The EU countries promised to launch projects to enhance employment opportunities and revenue-generating activities in regions of origin and transit of migrants in East, North and West Africa - a mechanism which is expected to benefit from the new Emergency Trust Fund launched this morning.
REGULAR CHANNELS FOR MIGRATION
The action plan features a promise to promote regular channels for migration and mobility between European and African countries, including a strengthening of cooperation on pre-departure measures such as foreign language and vocational training as well as rights awareness.
They will identity, as a pilot project, one or more professions where participating states commit to make progress on facilitating recognition of skills and qualifications.
They will also promote mobility of students, researchers and entrepreneurs between Africa and Europe.
The governments promised to reinforce the protection of refugees and other displaced persons, uphold the human rights of all migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, support the integration of long-term refugees and displaced persons in host communities and strengthen capacities of countries of first asylum, transit and destination.
They will also train law enforcement and judicial authorities on proactive and reactive investigation methods and judicial treatment of victims/witnesses and assist in setting up specialised anti-trafficking and smuggling police units.
The participating states will also step up capacity-building to counter the production and use of forged and fraudulent documents and ensure effective measures against employers who exploit irregular migrants
They will contribute to prevent and address irregular migration and to fight related organised crime, such as migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, including through 'agreed actions and missions'.
The states promised to protect migrants and provide systematic and predictable consular assistance, including the issuance of travel documentation and the facilitation of transit and re-entry into the country of origin
INTELLIGENCE SHARING
The action plan includes commitments to improve intelligence-gathering on smuggling of migrants, improve information and intelligence-sharing, upgrade anti-smuggling and anti-trafficking legislation.
Participating states committed to 'implement projects focused on strengthening institutional capacities to fight the smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings networks, both in origin and transit countries located along the West Sahel routes and organise information campaigns in countries of origin, transit and destination to raise awareness on the dangers of trafficking in human beings."
RETURN AND REINTEGRATION
The participating states said that are "determined to strengthen the fight against irregular migration in line with existing agreements and obligations under international law, as well as mutually agreed arrangements on return and readmission."
"We agree to give preference to voluntary return and reaffirm that all returns must be carried out in full respect of human rights and human dignity. We will improve cooperation on return and sustainable reintegration which can only enhance migration and mobility policy and make it more effective and comprehensive.”
The two sides thus agreed to “develop practical cooperation arrangements and bilateral dialogues on implementation of returns with regard, in particular, to identification and issuance of travel documents.”
In the first half of 2016, they will organise a seminar on best practices in the field of return and readmission procedures, including on identification procedures as practiced by European countries, the issuing of identification documents, and documentation processing.
They will "explore return pilot projects between the EU, associated countries, and African countries" and provide “comprehensive and developmental packages for safe return and reintegration, whereby a partner country commits to cooperate closely with the EU on return and readmission, notably on identification and travel documentation, and receives support for the individual reintegration of its own nationals, visa facilitation and a tailor-made package of support, including on other policy areas.”
They will also launch projects in countries of origin to support the reintegration of returnees into their communities.
SEE THE DOCUMENT IN FULL AT http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/11/12-valletta-final-docs/