Only through principled partnership can Europe and Libya turn the tide on irregular migration

Euractiv

a day ago

Yusuf Kablan is Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Libya Government of National Unity.
For too long Europe's approach to irregular migration has been driven by quick fixes and hollow rhetoric rather than by strategic insight and a genuine commitment to democratic values.
This pattern has nourished the populist slogans now echoing in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris – calls to 'stop the boats' that exploit the very rupture in Europe's own narrative on democracy and the rule of law. Yet even as such rhetoric gains traction, Europe remains unable to curb chaotic flows because its foreign policy simultaneously proclaims liberal ideals and quietly props up the very autocrats whose misrule drives displacement.
This incoherence came into stark relief last month when departures from North Africa surged so dramatically that Athens dispatched warships to turn back vessels off Crete – even as crossings of the English Channel reached unprecedented levels. These drastic measures portray mere symptoms: the real illness lies in Europe's transactional bargains with regional strongmen, whose consolidation of power deepens instability and propels desperate journeys across the Mediterranean.
Indeed, the breakdown of rights and opportunity under autocratic rule will continue to generate new waves of migrants. The international community may aim to stem these flows but any containment strategy that glosses over the underlying drivers – state fragility, authoritarian repression, and predatory smuggling networks – cannot succeed in the long term.
Nowhere is this dynamic clearer than along Libya's coast, where sophisticated smuggling rings – backed by foreign sponsors and sheltered by de facto authorities – flourish in the shadows. Under General Khalifa Haftar's parallel administration in the east, a grim calculus has emerged: a veneer of security enforced by brutal repression in exchange for tacit international acquiescence.
MP Ibrahim al-Drisi's recent footage – chained by the neck and pleading with Haftar for his life in a video first released on 5 May 2025 – illustrates how such repression masks its own brutality. Equally alarming is the unresolved disappearance of MP Siham Sergiwa, abducted from her Benghazi home on 17 July 2019 after denouncing Haftar's assault on Libya's legitimate government. These abuses not only expose the hollow pretense of stability but also deepen the humanitarian catastrophe.
Europe's muted response to these atrocities speaks volumes. By publicly decrying abuses in some quarters while quietly engaging in others, European capitals have unwittingly empowered human traffickers to wield migration as a leverage tool. This double standard has fractured Libya's unity, eroded its sovereignty, and chipped away at Europe's own moral authority.
To reverse this trajectory, Europe must set a clear red line: no cooperation with actors who traffic in human lives, and no support for parallel power structures that flout human-rights norms. Any partnership must be strictly conditional on verifiable respect for human rights, transparent governance, and a return to a civilian-led political process.
Confronted with these challenges, Libya's Government of National Unity has taken decisive action. In collaboration with European law-enforcement and intelligence services, the GNU launched a comprehensive security campaign targeting smuggling hubs along the entire coast. Simultaneously, it has intensified regional dialogue, culminating in last week's trilateral summit in Istanbul with Turkey and Italy and laying the groundwork for further cooperation with Qatar.
Through shared maritime patrols, real-time intelligence sharing, the establishment of humane reception centres, enhanced medical screening, and embedded legal advisors within Libyan courts, this multilateral effort demonstrates that migration management demands a balanced fusion of security, justice, and humanitarian care – and that all stakeholders must shoulder both responsibility and accountability.
Building on Istanbul's momentum, Europe and Libya should enshrine their cooperation in a strategic framework that unites investment in governance reforms and economic development in origin countries with integrated coastal-surveillance systems and expedited, transparent asylum procedures. Such a framework would also bolster Libya's institutional capacity – strengthening the coast guard, judiciary, and migration services under international supervision – while conditioning further assistance on verifiable progress in human rights, transparency, and national reconciliation.
Sustained political commitment and transparent oversight are indispensable: Europe's credibility and Libya's future depend on the robustness of this alliance.
Irregular migration is not a standalone crisis but a symptom of wider policy failings. Europe's transactional deals with dictators have weakened democratic values, emboldened extremist rhetoric, and eroded trust in international norms, both abroad and at home. A lasting solution demands a broader strategic vision that rejects short-sighted, realist compromises in favour of human-rights leadership, bolsters legitimate governments, and strengthens state sovereignty to enforce the law impartially. Libya's recent efforts – demonstrating how principled multilateralism and robust institution-building can restore stability – offer a clear path forward.
Only by marrying high-principle diplomacy with comprehensive security and legal cooperation can Europe and Libya transform a shared crisis into an opportunity for lasting stability and prosperity.
True sovereignty entails responsibility, not merely control; and only together – through unwavering cooperation and principled engagement – can we turn the tide on irregular migration and uphold the democratic values and human rights that bind our futures.