Migrants from a migrant country – that is, migration from Egypt to the EU

Margaret Czarnik, Bartosz Mirowski, Maciej Pawłowski

Thesis and Introduction

– Overpopulation and poorness in Egypt prompt people to emigrate

– The main direction of legal migration of Egyptians are the Gulf countries

– Egypt is simply a transit country for migrants from Palestine and the Horn of Africa wishing to enter the EU

Causes of migration

The decision to emigrate from Egypt is mainly motivated by economical issues. Egypt is simply a country with a strong social divide and a advanced level of poverty. In Cairo, next to the exclusive settlements, there are districts where you can frequently meet people sleeping on the streets. About 25% of society lives on little than $3.65. A day. Rate unemployment is only 7.1%, but unemployment is hidden respective times higher. This is due to government subsidies on employment. Average monthly remuneration in the country is about 180 dollars. The problem is besides overcrowding and uncontrolled natural growth. For the past 20 years population The country grew from 77.5 million to 114.5 million. In 2100 it is expected to amount to 205 million. In Cairo alone lives at least 20 millions of people.

Legal migration

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Migration of July 2023, the number of Egyptian citizens surviving abroad exceeds 14 million (Lack of information on the methodology of the survey and who was qualified as a citizen. It is hard to verify what the real value is – sources indicate a scope of 7-19 million.). Egypt is main supplier of labour in the mediate East. Regional economical emigration already has a 50-year tradition. In 2023 Egypt occupied 6. place among the countries receiving the largest remittances. Their full value was 25 billion euros.

The largest Egyptian diaspora (c. 1,5 million people) are in Saudi Arabia. There are at least 1.5-3 million Egyptian citizens in the another Gulf states. Before 2011, Libya was a popular destination for migration. The number of Egyptians employed there was between 330 1000 and 1.5 million. The Libyan civilian War forced most of them to return to Egypt. There are presently about 150 000 migrants from Egypt in Libya. Many people emigrated to Jordan (c. 1 million), part to Sudan. There are most likely 6-9 million Egyptians in arabian countries. The Egyptian diaspora in the US is more than 300,000 people, and in Canada more than 100,000.

The difficulty of analysis is due to the deficiency of reliable and regularly updated data sources. The EU is an exception. In 2014-2023 the Egyptians submitted more than 1,5 millions of Schengen visa applications. The average yearly number of applications from 2014 to 2019 was 150 000, reaching a highest of 199.7 000 in 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic caused a drastic decline in applications between 2020 and 202021 (97.5 000). However, in 2023 the number returned to pre-pandemic values (186.5 thousand). A decrease in affirmative visa decisions is noticeable. The average for the full period (out of 2020-2021) of 83.82% is importantly higher than the indicator in 2023, i.e. 74,8%.

More than half of all applications to the Schengen States (51%) was deposited in France (465.5 thousand) and Germany (318 thousand). France's share of applications decreased from 32.2% between 2014 and 2019 to 22.6% in 2023. In turn, Germany's share increased from 18.9% between 2014 and 2019 to 27.7% in 2023. It is likely that any people are moving their interest to Germany at the expense of France, as the percent of another countries in the applications adopted remains stable. The popular destinations include Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Greece, which in full considered over 485 1000 between 2014 and 1923. (31.7% of applications.

The Egyptians usage many methods to extort visas. 1 of them is matrimony to European women at a mature age met in Egyptian resorts. consular relations show that these marriages frequently proceed until Egyptians have obtained their right of residence within the EU. erstwhile this is achieved, he may usage force against his wife to get her to divorce him. The Egyptians frequently do not return from tourist visas. The most spectacular example concerns Egypt's departure from the global tournament football blind people in Poland in 2015 Members of the squad obtained visas, reached the EU and disappeared. After they were found by the European services, they were not truly blind.

Illegal migration

The main directions of illegal migration of Egyptians are Gulf countries. However, these countries frequently send them back. Immigration policy in these countries is very restrictive. In principle, they do not accept irregular migrants and refugees can only receive asylum for a limited period of time until they find the 3rd countries to receive them. The issue of the admission of migrants in these countries is determined solely by the national interest, having primacy over humanitarian issues and the law international. Therefore, those who choose illegal migration are most frequently targeted by the EU.

Migrants are driven by smugglers who request around EUR 2500 per individual for their aid to travel to Europe. Paying specified a sum frequently involves spending a lifetime’s savings or even borrowing from relatives. Payment shall be made on instalments at the various stages of the journey. Those who are incapable to pay are starved, beaten or held hostage.

The vast majority of Egyptian immigrants in the EU are men. In the first 4th of 2022 they accounted for as much as 93% of all arrived. The majority (71%) of women arriving from Egypt did not exceed 18 years. More than 71,2 000 migrants arrived illegally from Egypt from 2009 to 2024. 63,7 1000 people chose the Eastern-Mediterranean way (through Turkey to Greece) and the 7.5 1000 Central-Mediterranean way (via Libya to Italy).

Egypt is simply a transit country for migrants wishing to scope the EU from the Horn of Africa and Palestine. There are over 6 million citizens of Sudan and South Sudan in Egypt. many immigrant groups are besides Palestinians, Somalis, Ethiopians and Eritreans. Z interviews the deepening carried out by Maciej Pawłowski in 2020 shows that despite gathering the criterion for asylum, they frequently gotta stay in Egypt for the remainder of their lives. There are situations where Egyptian workers of the global Organisation for Migration (IOM) sale to middle-class Egyptians decisions to grant asylum to Sudanese citizens Pd. In these lands, people identify themselves as their father, grandfather, and large - grandfather. It is adequate to change the image on the paper so that the Egyptian can leave for the USA, Australia or the EU as for example Mohamed Ahmed Sherif Abdullah from Sudan Pd. Service in the mark country is frequently incapable to discover this fraud.

Migrants from the Horn of Africa, especially black people, face discrimination on the part of the Egyptians, forcing them to effort illegal migration into the EU seen as a space of respect and prosperity. home abuse, beatings, rapes are common. In 2021 there was a loud case in which a Sudanese teenager Pd. was kidnapped by Egyptian peers and forced by beating to clean their parents' apartment. The Egyptian State responds to specified cases only erstwhile it is revealed by the media. Between 2009 and 2024 78,000 Somalis and 48,000 Sudanese attempted to enter the EU illegally. Most of them lived in Egypt before trying to migrate illegally.

Egypt combats illegal migration to the EU under agreements with Germany, Italy, Greece and Cyprus. Egyptian-Italian cooperation has been ongoing since 2000 (another agreements in 2007 and 2009). The Egyptian-Greek-Cyprus Agreement was concluded in 2015 and the Egyptian-German Agreement in 2017 on 17 March 2024 was concluded between Egypt and the EU providing EUR 7.4 billion in support of national improvement in exchange for effective border control. On the basis of these agreements, the Egyptian Coast defender prevents the boat from leaving its territory with migrants. According to Maciej Pawłowski's reflection from his stay in Egypt in 2020-2021, inhumane practices are utilized there. Egyptian Mediterranean beaches are prohibited after dark. Its implementation is guarded by the military, and those who break it may be shot. In addition, cars that enter the Egyptian–Libyan border region in Sahara without approval are shot down by drones.

Conclusion

Egypt is simply a transit country and the origin of migrants. Its importance is great, but not crucial. The Egyptian Government has no tools for direct impact on EU borders. In the west it is adjacent to Libya and in the east to Israel. The deliberate introduction of migratory force on these countries is not an option, as it would consequence in war. There is no point in the choice by migrants of the maritime way to Greece or Cyprus due to the long distance. The results of the agreements concluded between Egypt and the EU are visible. However, the methods of their implementation are inhumane. These actions are socially acceptable due to the Egyptian culture of strength, racism and classism.

The EU should work to improve the situation of migrants, reduce illegal migration and support Egypt's socio-economic improvement to become a destination country for migration. The payment of EU funds to Egypt should be dependent on the implementation of milestones to improve the conditions for the treatment of migrants or the implementation of educational programmes promoting anti-racist, egalitarian and human rights attitudes. large investments, industrial improvement and growth activities should in themselves make jobs for Egyptians and migrants. However, the challenge will be to guarantee that the local elite does not consume the funds allocated to investments. In addition, cooperation on combating smuggling networks must continue, while at the same time treating migrants more humanely.

For more information on migration from the EU to Egypt, see Maciej Pawłowski's book “The Gate to Europe. Will North Africa decide on the future of the Old Continent”, which will be published by the publishing home Przewita in early 2025.