It seems that Europe is having a change of heart when it comes to the issue of mandatory burden sharing.

Last week’s extraordinary summit on migration debated and approved a ten-point plan drawn up by European Union Foreign Ministers. The main points included increasing the Frontex budget and committing more assets to sea and a clear and decisive aim to destroy smugglers’ boats.

But EU leaders failed to expand Operation Triton’s mandate and change it from a border security operation into a search and rescue operation. In addition, any reference to burden sharing in terms of relocating migrants once they are granted refugee status, remained in a voluntary context.

Since then, things have budged a little. The EU admitted that it will have to send its ships and aircraft deeper into the Mediterranean and closer to the Libyan shore to assist migrants who are drowning in their thousands. Yesterday, it also emerged that the concept of mandatory burden sharing has garnered the support of a substantial proportion of the European Parliament with cross party support.

The EPP suggests that quotas be assigned according to a number of issues, including size, socio-economic situations and number of migrants already present within a country, they said during a press briefing. The S&D Group called for a holistic EU based strategy during his group’s briefing, however did not give much information as to how this could be tackled. He did however mention the need to go further than what was agreed upon within the Dublin II.

Malta has long pushed for the concept to be adopted by the European Union. But requests – also made by Italy – have, to date, fallen on deaf ears.

But it seems that slowly but surely, the proposal in gaining traction. Following the terrible capsizing which resulted in 900 people perishing has jogged people into a deeper sense of conscience. The hundreds of interviews with asylum seekers have established, once and for all, that this is a pan-European problem.

Most of those who end up in Malta or Italy push on, on the last leg of their journey to Northern Europe or Germany where they can find more work, and it seems, more social acceptance. The role of human traffickers does not stop on the shores of Libya. It permeates the European Union as fixers continue to demand money to send people on the last leg of their journey – whether they are registered refugees, or whether they have simply gone off the radar and tried to infiltrate the mainland clandestinely.

In other words, they still make their way onto the Continent and refusing to budge on the issue of mandatory burden sharing only continues to expose migrants to more hardships, exploitation and blackmail.

We are sure that there will be some stormy clashes between the European Parliament and the European Commission on the issue. But something has got to give. Once the wind dies down and the seas become calmer towards June, the influx of people will be massive. We need to be prepared, else we might be facing a humanitarian emergency of massive proportions. Malta has said that it will continue to work to save lives and that should be our priority. But while we do that, Europe also needs to work to give these people dignity once they are absorbed into Europe.