Migration policies and digital technologies in Europe: a comparison between Italy and Spain

ABSTRACT

This paper analyses the connection between European migration policies and digital technologies, with a look at the significant changes that have affected the formation and meaning of borders on the continent. Particular attention is paid to the primary digital surveillance systems (SIS II, VIS, EURODAC) in Italy and Spain, importantly ‘Europe’s gatekeepers’ over the last decade. The results of the research contradict the thesis that there is persistence non-compliance with surveillance systems in the Southern European member states, and also highlight important areas of divergence between the two countries’ migration policy pathways.

KEYWORDS:

• Communitarization
• southern european migration model
• digital surveillance systems
• Italy
• Spain

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. According to IOM (International Organization for Migration)’s definition, in this text we generically refer to ‘irregular migration’ as ‘movement that takes place outside the regulatory norms of the sending, transit and receiving countries’ (https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms).

2. Eurodac was established by Council Regulation No 2725/2000 and has been operating since 2003. In 2013, a new regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (No 603/2013) expanded Eurodac’s functions.

3. According to article 7 of the Council Regulation (EC) no 862/2007 returnees’ percentages refer to third-country nationals who have in fact left the territory of the member state following an administrative or judicial decision or act. The third-country nationals ordered to leave are third-country nationals found to be illegally present in the territory of the member state who are subject to an administrative or judicial decision or act declaring their stay illegal and imposing an obligation to leave the territory of the member state.

4. For 2015, it should be noted that the Eurodac Report (released in April 2016) provides statistics only from 20 July (the date the reformed Eurodac Regulation was implemented) to 31 December. For that year, the only available statistics are those released for partial periods from the European Commission.

5. See Frontex, ‘Archive of Operations’, available on line at: http://frontex.europa.eu/operations/archive-of-operations/