The European Union and the Socio-Technical Systems of Migration Governance in Libya and Tunisia

This chapter examines the evolution of migration in Tunisia and Libya by analyzing the evolution of automated technologies and systems in migration and border governance since 2015, within cooperation programs between the EU, individual Member States, and the two countries. It begins by emphasizing the theoretical contribution of unpacking socio-technical systems, which are complex arrangements of people, technology, and institutions that work together to achieve a specific goal, particularly in the context of migration and border governance within securitization theory. The chapter then transitions into a desk analysis of cooperation programs in border and migration governance between the EU, its MSs, and Libya and Tunisia, focusing on the technological apparatuses included as implementation tools (including data infrastructures, surveillance, and monitoring systems). This analysis aims to map the gradual expansion of technologies in border and migration governance, identifying the actors—both EU and national—involved in these cooperation projects. By tracing which kind of processing is required, by whom, with which systems, the chapter seeks to enrich the scholarly understanding of migration securitization, with an emphasis on the socio-technical systems’ roles.