Search
AI-powered
search, human-powered content.
We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
Body bags carrying migrants who died after their boat capsized in the open sea off Greece
At least 79 people died on Wednesday when a boat carrying migrants sank in the Aegean Sea off the Greek coast, marking the deadliest tragedy since the 2015 migrant crisis. The boat, which reportedly originated in Libya and was heading to Italy, was carrying Pakistani, Syrian, and Egyptian nationals.
The Greek Coast Guard said it had been made aware of the vessel’s unusual movements the day before the accident, but that the boat had rebuffed offers of help. For now, details on what Greek authorities knew – and when – remain murky, but what is clear is that the Greek government has taken a hardline stance against asylum-seekers departing from Northern Africa and seeking to reach the European Union via the Mediterranean.
In fact, PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his New Democracy Party won 40% of the vote in last month’s election in large part due to its tough-on-migrant stance.
The European Union has long struggled to implement an effective bloc-wide migration policy and has been reluctant to pick fights with the Greek Coast Guard because it relies on Greece, and other coastal nations, to guard EU borders.
What’s more, this tough-on-migration approach appears to resonate with European voters in many EU states (think Italy, Hungary, and Germany) and so many governments remain committed to employing cynical tactics to keep migrants out.
But migrants fleeing economic collapse and political implosion in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa continue to view a dangerous boat ride across the Mediterranean as a risk worth taking. That explains why 2023 has seen some of the highest asylum-seeker rates in Europe in years.