> “When we put border controls in place, no matter how well-intentioned, they tend to be unsympathetic to local practice, and so that creates smuggling networks,” Parkes told EUobserver.
But aren’t there already smuggling networks?
> Parkes also said that African regional efforts at establishing open borders and ensuring free movement among neighbouring African states probably would be more conducive to preventing smuggling.
Why not both? If it is harder to illegally immigrate to Europe and easier to immigrate around Africa, wouldn’t be even better against illegal immigration? Although the North African states plus South Africa are the least keen on open borders within the African Union.
> “This move does not tackle the underlying, root causes of the problem – why are people leaving? It mistakenly focuses on the short-term, addressing the effects of the problem instead of the causes.”
Again, why not both? Why does the solution have to be one or the other? Just focus on intra-African economic co-operation – if one looks at the % of intra-African trade it is shockingly low and can definitely be improved – and although development aid has rarely worked, perhaps other economic trade policies between EU countries and Africa can be implemented to improve things. But why can’t steps to tackle illegal immigration be done at the same time as steps to tackle “root causes”?
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> “When we put border controls in place, no matter how well-intentioned, they tend to be unsympathetic to local practice, and so that creates smuggling networks,” Parkes told EUobserver.
But aren’t there already smuggling networks?
> Parkes also said that African regional efforts at establishing open borders and ensuring free movement among neighbouring African states probably would be more conducive to preventing smuggling.
Why not both? If it is harder to illegally immigrate to Europe and easier to immigrate around Africa, wouldn’t be even better against illegal immigration? Although the North African states plus South Africa are the least keen on open borders within the African Union.
> “This move does not tackle the underlying, root causes of the problem – why are people leaving? It mistakenly focuses on the short-term, addressing the effects of the problem instead of the causes.”
Again, why not both? Why does the solution have to be one or the other? Just focus on intra-African economic co-operation – if one looks at the % of intra-African trade it is shockingly low and can definitely be improved – and although development aid has rarely worked, perhaps other economic trade policies between EU countries and Africa can be implemented to improve things. But why can’t steps to tackle illegal immigration be done at the same time as steps to tackle “root causes”?