This week we witnessed yet another boat tragedy in the waters that surround us. The Mediterranean is regrettably shifting from being the sea of opportunity to a sea of lost hope.

How many more wake-up calls does Europe need before it wakes up to the tragic plight of refugees and migrants attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing?

As we marked the first anniversary of a shipwreck in which 800 people lost their lives, reports came in of a new tragedy with hundreds of people dead. Our sincere condolences and thoughts go out to the families of the victims.

Two and a half years have passed since more than 500 migrants drowned off the coast of Lampedusa, and six months since the heartbreaking images of Alyan Kurdi’s body washed up on a Turkish beach. 

These were supposed to be turning points for Europe. Yet, in reality, despite the initial expressions of outrage and calls for action, not enough has been done. Sadly, inaction will lead to more loss of life.

It is truly an unfortunate reality that the crime of migrant smuggling remains a low-risk, high-gain option for the perpetrators. It is only the victims that are confronted with high risks and high costs as they are enticed into spending their life savings on a trip that may well be their last.

Migrant smugglers offer false hope to these people, exposing them to dangerous trips across the desert and the Mediterranean Sea. In this regard, we encourage more countries of origin in Africa to co-operate with EU states to issue the needed documents to repatriate economic migrants who enter Europe irregularly, as this is the only way to effectively discourage those who migrate irregularly for economic reasons from doing so. 

The tragedy that we have witnessed in recent days is yet another horrific blemish on Europe’s collective conscience. It reinforces Malta’s repeated calls for more concrete EU and international action in the Mediterranean. It is high time for Europe to move beyond crisis control to a more comprehensive approach. There needs to be a truly Common European Asylum System that reforms the Dublin Regulation in a way that embodies the EU’s solidarity principle.

The system, at present, places a disproportionate responsibility for asylum claims on Member States at the EU’s external borders. Ultimately, we need a system which prevents disproportionate pressure on any one Member State, in favour of a fair distribution of responsibility. Malta has long-called for such a revision and will prioritise work in this respect during its Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2017.

With the summer months fast approaching, it has become more important than ever for Member States and EU institutions to avoid political posturing, and to work as a single team. While we recognise that some progress has been made at EU level, Malta will keep on insisting on a long-term, coherent vision to address migratory pressures.

The truth is that European citizens are frustrated by the current situation.

We encourage the EU to be cautious about measures which would simply shift migratory pressures to other routes, such as through the Adriatic or the Central Mediterranean. This means looking at the collateral effects of every measure we take, while also giving sufficient attention to third countries along other routes. Thus the same political commitment to these routes is needed with

In addition, the measures agreed at the Valletta Summit need to be implemented and the achievement of stability in Libya remains paramount.

Malta may have limited resources but it is wasting no time in showing solidarity and being steadfastly committed to a common, fair and sustainable EU approach where all Member States pull their weight. Since the agreement of a new Relocation Scheme for a two-year period, Malta has begun welcoming asylum seekers, sent from Greece and Italy. Twenty-one migrants from Syria and Eritrea have been relocated and another 17 are expected to be relocated in May. They are offered accommodation at an Open Centre following initial accommodation at an Initial Reception Centre in Marsa. During this period, medical screening is conducted, along with administrative processing.

Furthermore, in addition to contributing to Frontex-led operations, Malta is contributing personnel to EASO ‘Hotspots’ in Greece and Italy.

Preparations are well underway for Malta’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2017, when immigration and asylum will be top of the agenda. In fact, this week I had the chance to hold talks with the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, on how we will take advantage of this country’s hands-on policy and operational expertise in addressing migration flows, to prioritise legislation and implement agreed actions.

Commissioner Avramopolous showed his appreciation for our commitment in this regard and stated that the Maltese Government and the Commission shared the same vision in terms of addressing the migration crisis.

The time has come for action.

 

Mr Abela is the Minister for Minister for Home Affairs and National Security