In Italy, a joint effort by the Federation of Evangelical Churches and the Community of Sant'Egidio will ensure the opening of humanitarian corridors in 2016.

Knocking at the doors of Fortress Europe

People escaping war, poverty and persecution keep dying at the doors of Fortress Europe on a daily basis, while European leaders are engaged in endless and fruitless discussions on how to adequately address the ongoing refugee crisis.

Unprecedented numbers of migrants and asylum seekers traveled to Europe by sea during 2015: by mid-November, over 800,000 had reached the European shores - mostly in Italy and Greece, with relatively small numbers arriving in Spain and Malta - and, according to UNHCR estimations, as much as 84 percent of them originate from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Iraq (all countries where there are widespread violence and conflicts or highly repressive governments).

Civil society steps in

While European authorities are largely failing to provide answers to the problem, non-governmental organizations and civil society movements have demonstrated the willingness and the ability to step in to welcome refugees.

This summer in Rome, the Baobab center, organized and operated by a spontaneous aggregation of volunteers, provided a safe shelter for hundreds and hundreds of people in transit who would have otherwise been left on the streets. The center has now sadly been closed down for administrative reasons.

Now it is the turn of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI) and the Community of Sant'Egidio, who have joined forces in a momentous project: the opening of humanitarian corridors guaranteeing safe travel to Europe and the granting of protection to those in need.

Humanitarian corridors

The project will officially kick off in January, with the issuance of the first 1,000 visas to asylum seekers, who will then be able to safely travel to Italy and once there submit a request of protection. The beneficiaries will be identified by specific humanitarian desks already operating in Morocco and Lebanon (with a third one to be opened soon in Ethiopia in order to take into account requests from Eritreans, Somalians and Sudanese).

The Italian Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been persuaded in granting the issuance of visas but the operation will be entirely managed and financed by FCEI and Community of Sant'Egidio, with an initial investment of one million euros entirely coming from private donations (and not even one cent being paid by the State).

With as many as 1,000,000 migrants and refugees arriving in Europe in 2015, this is clearly just one tiny step in providing answers to the refugee crisis.

Nevertheless, one should not underestimate the importance of the project and its potential as a model for analogue initiatives: let's hope that in 2016 we finally will stop building up walls and start opening up more and more safe routes for people on the move.