“We have to move away from the isolationist tenor of recent discussions and look at refugee policy in holistic terms,” said Oppermann, pointing to his 5-point plan that prompted considerable controversy. Addressing onsite the causes of flight and regaining control over migration flows are central to these recommendations. For Oppermann, key pillars here involve securing the EU’s external borders, tackling human trafficking, cooperating with North African states along the Mediterranean and creating secure locations for refugees south of the Mediterranean. This is not, he emphasized, a matter of establishing a one-stop agency at gathering centers that point to the best routes to Europe. It is instead, as he described in his much-discussed suggestion, a matter of establishing protective zones in which refugees can evade smugglers, receive medical care, find refuge from exploitation or support for a return home – before being driven to embark on a dangerous journey in a boat.