BRUSSELS (AP) – The European Union is failing to teach important lessons about how to discourage migrants from Africa from traveling to Europe without permits and could do more to reduce abuse of people trying to make the journey, the EU’s financial inspectorate warned Wednesday.
The findings came from a report by the European Court of Auditors on the bloc’s Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, a multibillion-euro program that was quickly set up in 2015 after more than one million migrants arrived on European shores, many of them fleeing the war in Syria. .
It was intended to help address the causes of migration in Africa, such as poverty, conflict or unemployment. Initially, 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) were available to distribute to hundreds of projects, but that amount has grown to five billion euros ($5.6 billion) today.
This fund is managed by the executive branch of the EU, the European Commission.
“Despite the lessons learned … the commission has not yet been able to identify and report the most effective and efficient ways to reduce irregular migration,” the EU’s lead auditor in the investigation Bettina Jakobsen told the press.
Jakobsen said the commission should “direct aid fully to what is urgent and necessary in certain areas and in certain countries.”
He also said that “human rights risks have not been properly addressed by the commission, and that there are weaknesses in the accuracy and sustainability of the reported results.” In addition, Brussels “did not have adequate procedures to record and track allegations of human rights violations.”
Auditors were aware of 10 officials who reported possible rights abuses in Libya – one of the main routes for people trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe – but the commission had a history of only one allegation.
Auditors were unable to determine whether that report was followed up. A UN-appointed investigator said EU aid to Libya’s migration department and coast guard “aided and abetted the commission of crimes,” including crimes against humanity. The commission denies the allegations.
The auditors also warned of errors involving the use of EU funds and equipment aimed at improving maritime surveillance and reducing deaths at sea. The International Organization for Migration estimates that around 30,000 people have died or gone missing trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014.
The report said that “EU-sponsored assets may be used by actors other than those targeted,” or that European-trained Libyan personnel “may not commit to a policy of neutrality.” Beneficiaries of funds may also refuse to allow monitors to monitor how they spend the money.
In December, auditors visited the site of a maritime rescue coordination center on the Libyan coast. Italy was tasked in 2017 with helping the Libyans stop it. Millions of euros were earmarked for this project and the equipment containers sent, but seven years on it has not worked.
Under the international rules governing the safety of life at sea – rules recognized and accepted by the EU – Libya must have such a facility and operate it permanently. In the meantime, Italy has largely consolidated the effort in Libyan waters, deciding which ships should respond to emergencies.
The Commission, in turn, welcomed the report’s recommendations on how to improve things.
It acknowledged “that there is a need to further strengthen its capacity to identify and mitigate risks, including defining specific activities or performance indicators in areas of high risk to human rights. This will be addressed by providing resources and detailed training for the industry.”
The commission emphasized that, since last year, this fund has helped to voluntarily repatriate 73,215 immigrants. In the first half of 2023, it said, 11,087 jobs were created or supported, mainly in Guinea and Senegal, while 23,266 people received vocational training.
_____
Follow AP coverage of global migration at