The Arab Spring And North Africa-European Union Migration Dynamics: Case Of Tunisia, Egypt And Libya

Global migration trends are appalling and are indicative of a deeper problem. It is estimated that more than 1 in 7 individuals are migrants. This translates to more than 232 million people globally. Currently, immigrants from North Africa to Europe has increased with countries such as Egypt, Libya and Tunisia being the most significant sources of legal and illegal immigrants especially in the wake of the Arab Spring. However, while scholars have attempted to address the issue of migration to Europe and have assessed illegal migrations from North Africa in the wake of the Arab Spring, little attention has been accorded a comparative assessment of the trends after and prior to the Arab Spring. Moreover, the effects of the immigrants in EU while perceptible from media reports, have not been a focus of study likewise, the effectiveness of the countermeasures against illegal migration has also not been examined in much literature. Additionally, enough information is lacking concerning the types and effectiveness of countermeasures instigated by EU countries to address immigration into the Schengen area. The purpose of the study was to assess the dynamics of illegal migrations of North Africans to the EU in the wake of the Arab Springs. The study sought to realize three objectives, namely; to examine the factors underlying the transformations in trends in illegal North Africans migrations to Europe before and after the Arab Spring; to assess the effects of illegal immigrants in the EU; and to investigate EU’s countermeasures against illegal immigrations from North Africa.