'No real significant EU policy targeting countries of origin', Sant says on migration

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said that Europe has a huge challenge at hand when it faces the issue of migration whereby thousands of people are moving towards Europe – a movement that reflects a big humanitarian crisis and also poses a security problem.

Currently there are not enough programs which are able to deal with this phenomenon.

Speaking on Greek Public Broadcast NERIT, Sant said that the real problem was the way in which the situation was being tackled because it does not allow so much scope for control: “Control has to come through a holistic approach and it has to include the countries of origin of the migrants. They need to be given hope to live good lives in their own country and there is no real significant policy in that direction. Simultaneously a policy is needed to attack the networks of human smuggling.”

Quizzed by NERIT about the effectiveness of a fortress Europe, Sant said that because of the lack of authority in North Africa, Libya has huge management problems and cannot be treated just like a stable state which has a stately  authority. 

Sant said he believed there should be a blockade of North Africa, not in terms of not allowing ships to go in or come out of Libya, but a blockade in terms of being able to stop boats which are not fit for sailing and send them back, just outside or within Libyan waters.

Such plans should only work until the situation in Libya settles down and the EU can then make state to state arrangements with Libya, Sant told the Greek TV Station.