Next week, European and African leaders will gather in Valletta, Malta, to address the ongoing migration crisis and explore sustainable solutions.
So far, more than 700,000 migrants have arrived in European Union member states by sea in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration. Many thousands have applied for asylum — Eurostat reports that the majority of those applications come from people fleeing the conflict in Syria.
African migrants too are coming to Europe’s shores in large numbers, oftentimes facing perilous journeys. In April, more than 800 people drowned when the boat carrying them capsized in the Mediterranean Sea. There have been numerous tragic incidents since, with many more going unreported.