'Mare Nostrum' (Our Sea) is a cemetery and “a shame on all of us”, said former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told the EU's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in Brussels this afternoon.
Dr Gonzi stressed the challenge of migration was an urgent one, reflected by thousands saved from death over the last few days.
Around 5,629 people were rescued from 22 different vessels in the three days between April 10 and 12. Italy was working to save another 2,500 late yesterday.
Starting his address in Maltese, Dr Gonzi said: “Migration poses a challenge to us all to live up to the European value of placing people at the centre of our activities… years have gone by and there is still no solution to this enormous challenge we all face. Solutions should respect the dignity of each person with no distinction”.
He warned that the problem must be owned by all member states without exception and was critical of those European countries that insisted on adopting a rigid and negative position on migration.
Dr Gonzi’s call for a “fair solution” to migration came as the committee launched a discussion on a bipartisan report on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic approach to migration. An EU policy on migration is expected in May.
Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola introduced the discussion saying the EU must move on from tweeting condolences to real action.
“Member states continue to bicker on pull factors while bodies continue to wash up on our beaches… The Mediterranean is a centre of broken promises and hopes,” she said.
She stressed there was a 40 per cent increase in applications for international protection in Europe over the last year, with the figure totalling 650,000.
Dr Metsola stressed the need for solidarity with affected countries, as well as addressing the problem of human traffickers and dealing with the root causes of migration.
“The solution is not Fortress Europe,” she said, adding that immigration and asylum deserve a better and fairer European response. “I am optimistic we will get there”.
The second rapporteur, Italian MEP Cécile Kyenge, pointed out Italy had taken in 150,000 migrants. “We have to move away from the idea that this is an emergency,” she stressed.
Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said the events of the last few days should serve as a reminder “that we need to be aware of the realities at our borders” referring also to Europe’s eastern borders facing an influx from instability in Ukraine.
“An unprecedented influx of migrants is the new norm. We need to adjust our responses accordingly,” he said, adding that the new policy on migration expected in May is the start of a process to address the challenge of migration.