Mémoire
| Résumé : | The European Union (EU) – itself an inspiring model for regionalism in other parts of the world – has been a supporter of its counterpart ECOWAS and regional integration in West Africa more broadly. The EU recognizes that circular migration and mobility of persons are important coping strategies in the Sahel of West Africa, one of the least developed regions of the world. Yet its policies have also aimed at incentivizing Sahelian governments to criminalize and restrict irregular migration, particularly since the “migration crisis” around the year 2015. This thesis analyzes the impact of EU policies on regional integration and mobility of persons in the region. It examines how certain policies are horizontally inconsistent with other policies and cause negative side-effects. While the deteriorating security situation makes it difficult to apply an Integrated Approach (IA) and find solutions that equally prioritize all short-term and long-term objectives, the EU willingly accepts considerable collateral damage, notably undermining ECOWAS’s Protocol on Free Movement. |
