A tear at last year’s vigil for the migrants who died at Lampedusa.A tear at last year’s vigil for the migrants who died at Lampedusa.

Migrant solidarity between EU member states is still “largely non-existent”, outgoing European Justice Commissioner Cecilia Malmström admitted, as the world marks a year since the Lampedusa tragedy.

The Swedish commissioner said that some EU countries took in barely a handful of refugees in a year.

“This is quite possibly our biggest challenge for the future.

“While some EU members are taking responsibility, providing refuge for thousands of refugees, several EU countries are accepting almost no one,” she said in a bold statement.

A record 165,000 migrants and refugees attempted to flee persecution and war by crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe this year, according to new data compiled by refugee agency UNHCR.

The figure is more than double the number of people attempting the perilous sea journey last year.

What is also alarming, said the agency, is the increase in the number of people who have died at sea.

This is nothing short of a disgrace

The data was released on the anniversary of the Lampedusa tragedy that claimed the lives of hundreds of migrants.

But one year on, the situation with migrant crossings to Europe was getting worse.

Outgoing European Justice Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. Photos: Matthew MirabelliOutgoing European Justice Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. Photos: Matthew Mirabelli

“Last year, six whole countries of the EU accepted fewer than 250 refugees between them. All this, while the world around us is in flames. These EU countries could quite easily face up to reality by accepting resettled refugees through the UN system, but despite our persistent demands they are largely refusing. This is nothing short of a disgrace,” Ms Malmström said.

She said if all the promises after the Lampedusa tragedy are to mean anything, solidarity between EU countries must become reality. For this to happen, the EU must in the coming years develop a responsibility-sharing mechanism between all states. “This is of course nothing that can be forced upon member states. However, I believe it is an absolute necessity if the EU is to live up to its ideals.”

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres shared the same views: “We are failing to heed the lessons from the terrible events of last October, and more and more refugees are drowning trying to reach safety. EU countries must work together to continue and bolster the vital task... of rescuing people at sea.”

Conflicts and persecution in the Middle East and Africa, economic deprivation and the sealing of land borders in southeastern Europe have pushed desperate people towards the sea.

The insecurity in Libya, the main point of departure, has hit vulnerable groups prompting them to flee.

“Boats and dinghies are often more crowded, with cases of people dying of asphyxiation aboard boats or travelling without life jackets,” the UNHCR said.

Last month’s tragedy off Malta, in which as many as 500 people were killed when their boat was reportedly sunk by smugglers, left only 11 survivors.

It called on European governments to urgently protect people from the risks of travelling with smugglers. These could include increased resettlement quotas and access to humanitarian visas for people fleeing war and persecution, as well as joint border management policies involving EU and North African countries that not only look at border security but also have a clear human rights component.

Their call was echoed by other human rights NGOs appealing for the EU to open up legal and safe routes for refugees to enter. They include the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), which said search and rescue efforts in the Mediterranean need to be improved.

“If refugees attempt dangerous and deadly crossings to Europe, it is because they often have no other choice,” ECRE said, pointing out that the countries bordering Syria are already struggling to host large numbers of refugees.

“Lebanon alone is hosting over one million, so many are forced to move on. Iraq is dangerous, Libya is lawless and Egypt, with no asylum system, does not welcome refugees,” ECRE said.

European Parliament President Michael Schulz also said the EU should adopt a system for legal migration, with clear and fair criteria for entry. He said the EU needs a migration policy, not only for humanitarian reasons but also to tackle the EU’s demographic challenge and the sustainability of the welfare state.

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