Podcast: "Organized Chaos: How the Mediterranean Sea has Become the World's Most Lethal Migratory Route" with Philippe Fargues

An audio recording from Philippe Fargues, Director of the Migration Policy Centre, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies European University Institute (EUI).

On April 1, 2015 at MEI and the Center for European Studies Eastern Mediterranean and Europe Study Group, Dr. Philippe Fargues assessed the humanitarian crisis of often deadly boat crossings in the Mediterranean Sea by migrants coming from North Africa and the Levant to Europe. A renowned demographer, Dr. Fargues presented the social and political drivers of migration, arguing that many people making the crossing, while considered "economic migrants" are in fact refugees. He also examined the response by the Italian Navy and later European border agency FrontEx to rescue lives and stem the tide of migrants, as well as pursue the human traffickers who operate the boats at a steep economic and human price. Finally he suggested solutions and priorities for addressing root causes of the problem, including political action on behalf of refugees in Europe, solutions to reduce the drivers of migration, and better conditions and legal rights for migrants in every stage of the journey.

Listen to the full recording of the April 1, 2015 event here:

Click here to view photos on the Belfer Center Flickr page.

For a short interview with Dr. Fargues conducted by the Harvard's JMEPP, click here.

For more about Philippe Fargues, click here.