The conclusions adopted by the European Council on 25 October in response to recent tragic events in the Mediterranean, fail to address demands expressed by numerous national and international NGOs to fundamentally revise EU migration policies and ensure that protecting human rights and saving lives are prioritised.
The Council’s conclusions adopted following a debate launched in the wake of the tragic shipwreck which earlier this month claimed more than 360 lives off the shores of Lampedusa, demonstrate that despite public expressions of grief and declarations of solidarity, EU policy remains firmly focused on preventing people reaching Europe’s borders. Instead of coming up with concrete proposals to address the growing numbers of casualties and allow safe routes for refugees into Europe, the EU decided to continue with the very policies that have contributed to such tragedies and to further strengthen border surveillance.
‘This is yet another missed opportunity for Europe to assume responsibility towards the victims of all the tragedies that have occurred in the Mediterranean over the past twenty years’ said Karim Lahidji, FIDH president. “By reaffirming their intention to tighten border control and curb irregular migration, without proposing measures to prevent further loss of life, EU leaders have failed the thousands of migrants fleeing persecution and conflict in their countries every year to seek protection and a better life in Europe”
In response to the recent tragedies, EU heads of states have instead pushed for the reinforcement of Frontex activities in the Mediterranean and swift implementation of the new border surveillance system EUROSUR, as well as enhanced cooperation with countries of origin and transit, regardless of whether these countries offer sufficient guarantees of respect for human rights or give migrants access to protection. “The blurring of lines between rescue and border control raises real concerns in terms of the extent to which migrants and refugees who are ‘rescued’ by Frontex will be able to access the protection to which they are entitled,” noted EMHRN president Michel Tubiana, “These proposals – clearly show that the EU’s approach will remain driven by security and border controloncerns rather than respect for human rights and peoples’ lives,” he added.
This is all the more disappointing considering the repeated commitments made by EU leaders in the past weeks to ensure that the latest tragedy would lead to a revision in policy and an increased emphasis on saving lives.
“We deeply regret that the Council has failed to meet its own commitments and come up with concrete solutions which effectively address the concerns raised by civil society. It is time for Europe to demonstrate its adherence to the values it claims to export abroad, and radically change its approach towards migration, by putting respect for human rights and lives at its core” said Lahidji.
Background
In a letter addressed to EU interior ministers and EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom on 8 October, FIDH, EMHRN, AEDH and Migreurop urged the EU and its member states to reflect on the contribution of current restrictive, security-centred migration policies to causing tragedies such as the one witnessed in Lampedusa, and to overhaul their policies to ensure that security concerns do not come at the expense of human rights. In particular, we called on the EU and its member states to increase their search and rescue capacity and cooperation in the Mediterranean and establish clear and harmonised rules for search and rescue operations to prevent further loss of lives. We also urged the EU and member states to open new channels for regular migration, thereby reducing the risks linked to migrants’ attempts to enter the EU irregularly, to put human rights at the centre of any cooperation agreement on migration control with third countries, and to launch discussions on concrete measures to enhance solidarity and responsibility sharing within the EU.
You can read the letter at the following link: Lampedusa tragic shipwreck: a wake-up call for the European Union?