Photo: Getty Images. Photo: Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/via Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images. Photo: Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/via Getty Images

Organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the PRIO Cyprus Centre, the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, and the Helenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).

Since 2001, the Eastern Mediterranean has served as a vital gateway for refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers entering Europe from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa—mainly via Türkiye, but increasingly also from Lebanon, Egypt, and Libya. Countries like Greece and Cyprus, due to their geographic position, have faced growing pressure from irregular migration, especially since the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis. In response, the European Commission launched an Action Plan in October 2023, aiming to strengthen border management and enhance asylum systems. Yet the political landscape in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood and in countries of origin of migratory movements is subject to constant and significant change. From ongoing conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan and the war in Gaza, to economic hardship in Egypt, military coups in Africa, and worsening climate impacts, the Eastern Mediterranean remains a focal point of Europe’s migration challenges and strategies. While refugee numbers are declining along some migration routes, an increasing number of people are risking the perilous journey through the Eastern Mediterranean.

How do countries in the Eastern Mediterranean respond to these challenges, and what are the consequences of EU policies for refugees?

The webinar will feature an introduction to the topic and in-depth presentation of the findings by the authors from each country. To receive the zoom link, RSVP

Agenda:

  • Welcoming Remarks and Introduction:

Hubert Faustmann (Director, FES Cyprus Office)

  • Presentation and Launch of the Country Reports:

Chair: Harry Tzimitras (Director, PRIO Cyprus Centre)

  • Egypt:

Amina Fahmy (Migration Policy Researcher)

  • Lebanon:

Maysa Baroud (Joint Visiting Fellow, Middle East Council on Global Affairs & Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs)

  • Cyprus:

Annagrace Messa (Asylum/ Migration Civil Society Consultant)

  • Greece and Synthesis Report:

Angeliki Dimitriadi (Independent Researcher, Migration)

  • Q&A:

Harry Tzimitras (Director, PRIO Cyprus Centre)

  • Concluding Remarks:

Yara Mourad (Assistant Director, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs)