The Valletta summit of 11-12th November 2015 was initiated by the European Council in light of an emergent ‘migration crisis’. It focuses on developing “existing cooperation processes between Europe and Africa”, and continues on-going efforts since 2010 toward the EU’s Global Approach to Migration and Mobility. The ‘migration crisis’ says much about the failures of such an approach. Rising numbers of deaths across the Mediterranean Sea and increasingly difficult conditions for those crossing Europe have intensified calls for an approach that does not prioritise restrictive measures against unauthorised migrants entering the EU. Addressing the underlying causes of the ‘migration crisis’iv thus requires careful assessment of the limits of the EU’s ‘global approach’ to migration, particularly in relation to Valletta’s emphasis on “shared responsibility” across five areas tabled for discussion at the summit: prevention, management, protection, enforcement and returns.

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