Maritime Migration to Europe: Focus on the Overseas Route to the Canary Islands

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Original Language
English
Number of Pages
16
Reference Number
PUB2021/029/EL
Year of Publication
2021

Maritime Migration to Europe: Focus on the Overseas Route to the Canary Islands

Irregular maritime migration to Europe, contrary to popular conceptions, is less an issue of migrant arrivals and is rather a challenge of humanitarian dimensions. With more than 20,000 lives lost in the Mediterranean, and more than 3,100 en route to the Canary Islands,  the deaths on maritime migration routes to Europe have profound impacts on core values such as the inviolability of human dignity, not to mention on the tens of thousands of families in countries of origin, transit and destination affected by these losses. This right to dignity, as well as the rights to life and to asylum, are enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the European Union as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This background paper provides context on the main maritime routes to Europe, describing the three main trans-Mediterranean routes in brief before describing key trends on the overseas route to the Canary Islands. The paper concludes with recommendations for policymakers and practitioners seeking to respond to this humanitarian crisis, as well as for journalists and academics seeking to cover this issue.