"This year only, 1,800 known to have died, thousands have crossed the Mediterranean illegally, and more than 200,000 people are in Libya waiting to cross.  Regardless of these tragic numbers, there is still opposition coming from some Member States, which will do everything to prevent the introduction of a fair quota system", said Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi during her intervention in Strasbourg at a Parliamentary debate with Commission Vice-president Frans Timmermans, Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos discussing the Commission Agenda on Migration.

In her speech Marlene Mizzi welcomed the Commission's agenda which in her opinion presents an impressive arsenal of perfectly targeted, concrete measures giving life for the first time to words like mobilisation and financial help. But, in reality a European solution based on solidarity is still missing.

"I welcome in particular the Commission proposal to introduce binding quotas for asylum seekers in order to relieve the burden on periphery countries like Italy and Malta. I still think that the Commission needs to go a step further and commit to revise of the Dublin Regulations, without which we won't achieve concrete results," said MEP Mizzi.

As for the long term solutions, MEP Mizzi stated that the only way forward is to give migrants a future in their own country through investment in the economy, health and education. Only then will the haemorrhage of those seeking a better future in Europe be solved.

In her first reactions after the debate, MEP Mizzi said that she was glad to see that there is finally a general consensus among MEPs from different political groups calling for exactly the same things that she has been repeating since the previous legislature. "We need to stop using slogans and buzz words, we need action. This is a European problem, NOT the problem of Malta or Italy. We need solution on a European level with mandatory burden sharing and a revision of the Dublin Regulation."

"Solidarity means that everyone pulls the same rope, but in order to do that we need a political will and the full backing of all Member States to implement the Commission's strategy and make it an operational tool that will reflect the enormity of the global refugee's crisis," said MEP Mizzi.