As part of the project “EuroMeSCo: Connecting the dots“, co-funded by the European Union and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), we are opening calls for researchers to take part in five different Joint Study Groups.

The EuroMeSCo Joint Study Groups 2020 will be made up of four Authors, including a Coordinator, who will jointly produce a Policy Study over a period of 6-7 months. Interested researchers may apply as Authors or as Authors & Coordinators to each Joint Study Group. In both cases, they will have to complete the online form and submit their application before 14 June (included).

Here is a brief description of the rationale of this Joint Study Group:

Fighting Human Smuggling 2.0

Since 2015, the European Union has deployed significant efforts to fight migrant smugglers. It launched the European Migrants Smuggling Centre (EMSC) in 2016 to help member states in the fight against migrant smuggling, enhanced inter-agency coordination and intensified cooperation with countries of origin and transit. With the military Operation Sophia ceasing its activities in March 2020, the pending release of a new migration package, together with a new Security Union Strategy, as well as the beginning of a new financial cycle, there is a momentum to reflect on what actions and instruments have been most effective in countering smuggling in the Mediterranean and neighbouring areas, and what should be done differently in this new cycle. This EuroMeSCo Policy Study should look back to these programmes, contribute to a better understanding of new trends and strategies used by smugglers, looking at the cases of key countries and sub-regional complexes, and explore the concrete benefits that Southern Mediterranean partners could get from cooperation with the EU in this area.

The other four Joint Study Groups will be dealing with the following topics: cyber-security in the MENA region; Covid-19 related opportunities for terrorist groups in Africa and the MENA; green economy in the MENA region; and post Covid-19 trade relations between the EU, its Southern Neighbours and Africa. You may apply to more than one Joint Study Group, but may eventually only be selected to join one of them.

See the EuroMeSCo Joint Study Groups 2020 Terms of Reference for more information.