MEDITERRANEAN MIGRATION

Some may wonder why this website should be edited by a Swiss living in a country with green borders only and no direct access to the Mediterranean. There are reasons. I spent the last three years of my academic career in Malta witnessing firsthand the various aspects of blue border migration. That was before the Arab Spring but, given my background in international politics, it impressed me no end. When 2011 came around I decided to follow events more closely, abroad and at home. It is a fact that thousands of migrants and refugees seeking asylum in our country have crossed the Mediterranean. And, in 2008, Switzerland became an associate member of the Schengen area. Although not in the EU, the country is integrated when it comes to handling cross-border mobility. Our responsibilities, as a result, have widened - and often extend to the blue waters of the Mediterranean. The Swiss Minister of the Interior attends EU Council meetings, Swiss border guards work for Frontex in various..