EU Migration Policies after Arab Spring: the way ahead

In the particular context of Arab Spring, we can assume that in the European destination countries, the effect of migration following the uprising was not that strong as announced by the mass media. Mass arrivals didn’t happen in Europe, as the main consequences in terms of migration and mobility happened in the countries of origin that received a large number of displaced persons and return migrants from neighboring countries (Fargues & Fandrich 2012, Fargues 2012). For instance, during spring and summer 2011, about 1,128,985 people escaped war from Libya to Tunisia, Egypt, Niger, Algeria, Chad and Sudan (IOM, 2011). At least 60,000 refugees from Libya and Tunisia reached Italian coasts during 2011. 20,000 Tunisians were granted the status of “temporary residence for humanitarian reasons”. Nevertheless, even if the Italian government asked for a European answer to the problem, the answer never arrived. On the contrary, countries such as France closed their borders to Tunisians holding the above mentioned Italian resident permits. The future of European migrations policies seems to be already written: in 2013 the proposal of a European migration code is expected from the Commission (Peers, 2012). How migration was governed in the North Mediterranean since 2011? How Mediterranean European countries and EU in general answered to the new political and economic situation of the Southern Mediterranean countries? Starting from an analysis of the situation of EU migration policies before 2011, we will then focus on the particular policies adopted after the events of Arab Spring. Our hypothesis is that European countries will not change their previous borders policies and that they will try to reactivate the old form of cooperation (e.g. bilateral agreements) that existed before the Arab Spring. Our focus will be in particular on Italy as major Mediterranean destination country.