Introduction

Abstract

The spike in the number of irregular migrants attempting the sea crossing from Libya to Italy at the start of 2015, and the concomitant rise in the number of people drowning, led to a reversal of the European Union’s policy to scale down search and rescue operations in the southern Mediterranean. However, as of June 2015, the strategies proposed by the EU and by individual member states to address irregular migration flows continue to emphasise securitisation over humanitarian responses. The contributions to this edited volume, based on evidence gathered through first-hand research, emphasise the failure of the EU’s simplistic and reactive policies to stem the flow of migrants, which has in fact markedly increased, whilst leaving the EU open to accusations of adopting an unethical, and potentially illegal, immigration regime.