“Mare Monstrum”

According to data released by Caritas Italia, 339 died in the Channel of Sicily in the attempt to reach Italian shores. The death toll for the year 2008 is 642. As reported by the international press, in 1988 14.661 deaths were due to reasons linked to immigration. Among them, 6327 were missing in the sea. The findings on immigration in Europe have been posted on the website of Fortress Europe (http://fortresseurope.blogspot.com/), founded by journalist Gabriele Del Grande, who has been closely following migration flows in the Mediterranean for the past four years briefing on the figures and individual stories of the journeys of hope, treasuring the memory of the victims. SIR Europe interviewed him. How did Fortress Europe come about?“In 2005 I started collecting data on immigration for an article. I began by putting together material published on the daily newspapers of the Countries bordering on the Mediterranean. I discovered that since the end of the 1980s some 3thousand immigrants had died in the hope of reaching Europe. And the death toll has now reached 14thousand. The first article developed into an updated press release that preserves the memory of those who lost their lives during these tragic trips while providing a snapshot of immigration in EU Countries”.Which European Countries are most involved in migration flows? “There are three major gateways to Europe. These are Italy, Spain and Greece. Migrants’ situation in Italy is difficult. But it’s also true that other Countries treat them no better. For years Greece has been criticized for sinking migrants’ boats loaded with Iraqi and Afghani refugees near Turkey’s shores, after they had been refused entry in open sea. Spain’s repatriations at sea have been accompanied by diplomatic efforts leading to the sanctioning of bilateral agreements for the readmission of migrants from the major Western African Countries of departure”. With which results?“In 2007 and in 2008 the number of those died in Spain’s open seas underwent a constant increase keeping pace with the expansion of open sea routes to avoid joint patrolling and repatriation to African shores. Migrants’ mean age also decreased. Most of them are unaccompanied minors who cannot be repatriated in view of their young age. But migrant landings in the Canaries dropped in the first months of 2009, increases were registered in Italy, Malta and Greece”.Many Countries, many migration policies: what should a common European migration policy focus on? “Firstly on South-North mobility. The EU should bravely invest in the free circulation of citizens across all Mediterranean Countries. It is necessary to engage in policies for the reception and integration of migrants. As relates to political refugees, the Dublin II Regulation, which compels asylum-seekers to file a request in the first Country of arrival and reside there, ought to be reviewed. This is the reality of a continent where Greece accepts 0.3% of all applications and Italy accepts 50%. The regulation had been conceived to decrease the burden of Central-European States, primarily France and Germany, to the detriment of frontier-States which, as is the case of Malta and Cyprus, are in a difficult situation due to the refugee/population ratio, while in Germany reception centres are being shut due to scarce asylum requests. In an ideal situation a single recognition system would enable the free circulation of migrants across the EU along with their free choice of residence-Country. 240.000 requests of asylum in EU27 is a low figure, marked by a downward trend. In fact, in 1992 applications amounted to 700,000 across EU15. And not all migrants arrive through sea routes. In 2008 67,000 migrants landed along the South-European border, less than the actual demand of migrant labour”.Which role could the migrants’ Countries of origin play to prevent this tragedy? Are bilateral agreements useful? “Bilateral agreements are not a solution. Migrants’ Countries of origin should provide a secure future to their youth. Mass emigration is the unjustifiable outcome of these Countries’ misgovernment. But at the same time it’s a solution in itself since billions of euros from emigrants’ remittances provide consumption and investments in their Countries of departure, thus reviving the local economy. Finally, violations of the rights of these Countries’ citizens go unnoticed. No South world Country is ever heard protest the mistreatment of its citizens prior to refusal of entry nor their condition as illegal migrants in Europe”.How do you view the attitude of international media vis a vis immigration news and the related death tolls? “The media have great responsibilities. There is an ongoing systematic distortion of reality that sparked off fears of invasion. In reality very few people arrive through sea routes. But the passengers of those boats had been reassured. Why is it that in 10 years of migrant landings the press and TV hardly ever asked migrants the reason for leaving their Countries? The press has never contributed to the recovery of the victims’ dignity and respect”.