"Zones de non-droit" de l'Union Europeenne: etude des "jungles" de Calais et des campi di braccianti de la province de Foggia

Abstract

The destruction of a “jungle” in the northern French port of Calais in September 2009 and the explosion of violent riots in the southern Italian town of Rosarno a few months later attracted media attention to the dramatic situation that migrants are facing in different parts of the European Union (EU). How can people be living in such conditions inside the EU? The thesis analyses the situation of migrants living in camps such as “jungles” or working in agricultural fields in south Italy. Although they are excluded from citizenship and lacking in formal documentation, these individuals retain rights, including human rights. The events in the north of France and in the south of Italy are symptomatic and illustrate the appearance of what can be called EU “No-go areas” where migrants' human rights are being violated. In France, the “jungles” of Calais are makeshift camps that have emerged because of migrants being stuck while trying to cross the English Channel. In these “jungles”, migrants live in poor condition and are victims of violence by police and people traffickers, the so called passeurs. In Italy, the Rosarno riots have stressed the exploitation to which seasonal migrant workers are subjected in the Mezzogiorno and in the agriculture fields of other EU member states. In France and in Italy, these “No-go areas” are characterized by precarious living conditions for migrants and an absence of the rule of law. They are different from detention centers in which “exceptional rules” are being imposed under State supervision. In these “No-go areas”, rules are also being imposed by non state actors, such as passeurs in Calais or landlords and caporali in south Italy.