Europe-Africa summit: what did it achieve?

A host of pledges were made to tackle the
crisis in Libya, but critics say much of it was empty rhetoric

One-Minute Read

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Ivorian President Alassane
Ouattara warned that leaders would have to do more than condemn the
“disgusting” and “unacceptable” practice.

“The inhumane treatment of migrants challenges us, requiring
responses which match our condemnation,” the host said.

By the end of the summit, the leaders of Libya, France, Germany,
Chad, Niger and four other countries agreed to attempt “a massive
and imminent evacuation” of migrants who are trapped in the camps,
the Washington Post reports.

“The plans drafted Wednesday indicate that the first evacuation
push will target 3,800 migrants,” most of whom will be returned to
their home countries, the newspaper says.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal also included a
fresh promise from the Libyan government to address the problem, as
well as a joint pledge from the EU, AU and UN to freeze the assets
of human traffickers and increase support for the International
Organisation of Migration.

What was lacking?

Geert Laporte, deputy director of the European Centre for
Development Policy Management, said many of the promises made at
this year’s summit have been made before.

“I recognise the same hollow wordings of mutual trust and
comprehensive partnership,” he told Politico.

Youth groups also claim they were sidelined completely from the
conference, the EU
Observer reports. A German youth advocacy group, DSW, due to
talk at the summit, said young people from both continents were
denied the platform they were promised.

“Youth were prevented from speaking – at a summit all about
youth! It beggars belief,” a representative said.

The Washington Post argues that the summit’s original focus –
boosting economic development in Africa and tackling youth
unemployment – is the only real solution to the migration
crisis.

“Stopgap measures like evacuations have little to do with [its]
underlying causes,” the paper says.