Brussels unveils measures to curb migration via Central Mediterranean

The European Fee on Monday unveiled a so-called motion plan to take care of a “not sustainable” enhance of irregular arrivals through the Central Mediterranean route.

The motion plan consists of 20 completely different measures organised throughout three pillars. These purpose to strengthen cooperation with associate nations and worldwide organisations together with the United Nations, improve cooperation concerning search and rescue operations within the Mediterranean and reinforce the implementation of the bloc’s Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism.

It comes forward of an emergency council assembly on migration on Friday, following a row between Italy and France over the disembarking of the Ocean Viking vessel.

“The most recent occasions verify that this example will not be sustainable,” House Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson instructed reporters in Brussels. “This route continues to be one with the best variety of irregular arrivals, but in addition one of the vital harmful routes.

Some 90,000 individuals arrived through the Central Mediterranean route this yr, a 50% enhance from final yr.

“We should think about that the numerous majority of people that arrive on this Central Mediterranean route right this moment will not be in want of worldwide safety,” Johansson careworn, flagging that migrants arriving by means of Libya are predominantly from Egypt, Tunisia and Bangladesh.

The bloc thus intends to work out offers with third nations to stop departures, speed up returns and facilitate authorized pathways for labour causes.

“This yr already, greater than 3,000 individuals have been voluntarily returned from Libya to (their) nation of origin. Since we began this work, along with the UN and African Union, greater than 60,000 individuals have been voluntarily returned from Libya,” Johansson mentioned.

In the meantime, she known as on EU nations to make higher use of the Voluntary Relocation System whose purpose is to allow the switch of asylum seekers from southern nations — which bear the brunt of arrivals — to different states throughout the bloc.

Regardless of greater than 8,000 pledges for relocation made by taking part member states, solely 117 asylum seekers have to date been transferred throughout the bloc. 

The Motion Plan additionally requires cooperation between member states and all actors concerned in search and rescue actions within the space to be strengthened. Frontex, the bloc’s border company, is to hold out an evaluation of the state of affairs within the Central Mediterranean.

“The authorized obligation to rescue and to make sure the protection of life at sea is evident and unequivocal. That is irrespective, no matter the circumstances, that lead individuals to be in a state of affairs of misery,” Johansson mentioned.

“The state of affairs right this moment with the non-public vessels working at sea is a situation which nonetheless lacks ample readability. This present problem was not considered when maritime regulation was first agreed. There’s a want for extra cooperation between Member States, flag states and coastal states and different related actors,” she added.

The Commissioner was nonetheless clear that the Motion Plan is not any alternative for the New Pact on Migration and Asylum it put ahead in September 2020 and which plans for extra solidarity between member states both by means of relocation or monetary help. 

“A standard European resolution is on the desk. Adopting it stays our key precedence,” Johansson mentioned. 

“We are able to do a whole lot of motion plans and we are going to proceed to do this and is necessary. However with out adoption of the entire pact, we might be a lot weaker than we might be with a complete complete European framework for migration and asylum.”