by Emily Koller, CERES MA candidate
In 2013, the Italian Coast Guard commenced a search and rescue project, known as Operation Mare Nostrum, with the objective of providing humanitarian aid to migrants arriving on Italy‘s shores by sea. After a year, Mare Nostrum was terminated in November 2014 and replaced by the Frontex-led Operation Triton. (European Union External Action Services 2017). With an operating budget of less than a third of that of Operation Mare Nostrum and with a narrower patrol range that restricts its activities to Italian waters, Operation Triton has not achieved the same success rates in saving migrants’ lives as did Mare Nostrum. This has left many wondering why the EU decided to replace Mare Nostrum with Triton. (Economist 2015). This research paper will endeavour to answer this question. It will examine the factors and reasoning behind the EU decision to replace Mare Nostrum with Operation Triton, and explore the differences between the two operations and how these differences may account for the seemingly poorer performance of Triton. The importance of this research is that understanding the EU’s decision to replace Mare Nostrum with Operation Triton will allow for a better evaluation of Operation Triton.
