Tackling the problem of migrant smuggling into the European Union

Abstract

Irregular movement on the Mediterranean Sea has been an issue for the European Union already for a few decades. During the last five years the scope of the irregular movement has rapidly expanded and has gained more public attention. The European Union is facing the complicated question of how to retain security and sovereignty while protecting human life. The objective of this thesis is to assess the different approaches to tackle the problem of people smuggling on the external borders of the European Union. This is done by analysing two main proposed policies, one of which focuses on limiting the supply of smuggling services while the other focuses on limiting the demand for smuggling services. The thesis will assess the expected effectiveness and (un)intended consequences of both policy options. The result of this thesis show that the combination of limiting the supply of smuggling services and limiting the demand for smuggling services is the best combination in order to fight human smuggling in the Mediterranean Sea.