The photo of the lifeless body of a two-year-old boy washed onto the Libyan shores was just one reminder of the fact that the ongoing migration crisis in the Mediterranean has reached an all-time low.

As the mother of a two-year-old myself, that photo made me realise more than ever before that this tragedy can hit any family so desperate as to take the ultimate fatal journey towards the hope of a better future.

In less than a week over 1,000 human beings are feared to have perished in two separate tragic accidents off the Libyan coast.

These are not numbered bodies without a face and without a family. These are the victims of a totally absent immigration policy that deals specifically with the Mediterranean.

These are the consequence of the lack of attention and commitment from some governments in the EU and the international community itself. This is the reality that we as Maltese are constantly facing together with Italy.

For me Libya is key. What is happening at this precise moment in Libya is impacting us all. It is impacting the Mediterranean and will impact the EU as a whole. It is clear that due to the instability currently reigning in Libya people traffickers are becoming more daring and possibly even tolerated in this lawless state.

Furthermore, migrants who are temporarily residing in the region waiting for the opportunity to flee to Europe are finding more opportunities to take risks on a hitherto unprecedented level.

The good weather and the approaching summer months will worsen this situation.

One of the major truths on the migration situation we are facing is the flawed conscience of non-Mediterranean Europe. Countries like Malta and Italy have been calling for bold action to be taken, however any actions have been very few and far between, and at most very weak.

The latest deaths in the Mediterranean prompted the European Council to call an urgent summit. I have to be completely honest, I expected so much more, but at least this was one step in the right direction and hopefully all the pledges we heard and all the commitments made will not fade away as soon as the next major news item hits the headlines.

While it can be said that it is positive to see more Member States dedicating more resources and vessels, aircraft and experts to Triton and Poseidon, and while it is positive to see the Council’s commitment to fight traffickers and prevent illegal migration flows, we need to see the effective implementation of these measures.

Hopefully all the pledges we heard and all the commitments made will not fade away as soon as the next major news item hits the headlines

Reinforcing internal solidarity and responsibility was one of the points mentioned; however, the European Council conclusions still lack the proper political will and commitment by all governments of the member states to really enforce fair responsibility sharing.

Responsibility sharing is a term that has become run of the mill and possibly overused to the extent that it has become meaningless. Citizens of this region are completely disillusioned by the false pledges and scarce solidarity our European partners have granted Mediterranean Europe.

It is pretty evident that voluntary relocation programmes never gave the desired results and I still can’t understand how the European Council is expecting that this time round “emergency relocation between all member states on a voluntary basis” will give results. As far as I am concerned this is not proper responsibility sharing.

Furthermore, I am disappointed that there was no mention of the Dublin Regulation, which is completely ineffective and highly unfair to border member states like Malta. What I want to see is the creation of a fair distribution system where no state is left alone.

It is positive to see that the European Council is now stating that it wants to support UN-led efforts towards having a government authority in Libya. I expect a stronger commitment in this regard and I would like to see the immigration issue as one of the points that are being discussed in the talks to form a Libyan National Unity government, because attaining stability in Libya would definitely take time.

This is precisely why I – together with a number of other MEPs – am calling for the reality of people trafficking in Libya and the need to clamp down on such organised criminal groups to be placed high on the agenda during the Libya Unity talks.

We are demanding that action to confront the situation along the Libyan coast becomes a defined action point in the ongoing discussions – to be specifically included in the eventual final accord between the different parties in Libya.

My colleagues and I believe that this simple diplomatic action can help pave the way for a long-lasting solution to this Mediterranean and European tragedy that has gone unchecked for far too long.

If the immigration issue is to be addressed properly then its root causes need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

In this regard it is positive to see that an EU-African summit will be held in Malta. I hope that this can serve as the first step towards addressing the issue of immigration at source.

Migration is a huge conundrum with interlinked issues. However, there is clear action that can, and indeed must, be taken. The ultimate goal is to ensure that it is not just the EU that shoulders responsibility, for this is not just a Mediterranean issue, nor is it solely one related to the EU, but it is indeed a global issue.

Miriam Dalli is an MEP on behalf of the Labour Party.

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