Migration in the Mediterranean region is often in the news and has been the focus of much migration policy discussions for states involved. Since the events in Lampedusa, there has been renewed interest from countries involved to look at the issue of migration more closely, most recently at EU level with the creation of a Task Force Mediterranean (TFM) with a mandate to develop appropriate measures in order to prevent such human tragedies from happening again. Particular attention will be paid to this new approach for the whole Mediterranean area, introduced with the TFM, as well as the role of North African and Middle Eastern countries as EU partners in managing migration in the region.This lecture is the first lecture of the Lecture Series: "Migration in the Mediterranean" organised by the Institute for European Studies and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).