“They were crying out for help but they were thrown back into the hold. They asked for help because they had no air. One of them managed to escape, but some men took him and threw him into the sea and he drowned,” affirmed one African immigrant as he landed on the tiny island of Lampedusa.
In the dead of the night of 31 July 2011, Italian coastguards received an alarm signal from a boat situated about 35 miles south of Lampedusa. It was edging slowly to Lampedusa and by dawn its engine had completely broken down. The coastguard went to its rescue and when they arrived they saw before them a boat struggling to stay afloat in still waters. It was jam packed with African immigrants.
“No big surprise there, it’s actually typical of these landings,” said one of the coastguards when the rescue operation was over. “Typical” it was, but this landing was not just typical – it was horrifying and heartbreaking.
The coastguards immediately started transferring the immigrants to their boats and as they helped them jump from one boat to another, they became conscious of the stench of decaying bodies. A total of 25 bodies, packed like sardines, were found down in the hold, some already decomposing.
According to the accounts of witnesses, these 25 men were the first to board the boat and took a place in the bottom hold in order to leave room for the others. The hold had a meagre 50-centimetre hatch.
“There was no air in that hold”, said a coastguard, “That’s why they were killed like rats.”
After a few hours on the high seas, gases emanating from the boat’s old engine of the boat made the air toxic and these people desperately wanted to get out. But the people on top would not let them out because there was no space. The journey would last over three days and these people met their death in the most gruesome manner – asphyxiation.
Such is the fate of most “boat migrants”. This story went largely unnoticed by the international media, perhaps because rickety boat-crossings in the Mediterranean happen too often to qualify as news nowadays. Maybe it’s because it happened in the thick of the Libyan revolution. Whatever the case, many of us know by now that real action by the EU is long overdue.
Many African migrants do not risk their lives trying to make it to the small islands of Lampedusa and Malta. Their eldorado is continental Europe, but Europe has not yet come to their rescue. Frontex, the EU Agency for coordination and operational cooperation between member states, has not lived up to its expectations and cooperation and solidarity between member states are conspicuous by their absence.
“Frontex was asked to start running when it didn’t yet know how to walk. The demands put on this agency since its very inception were huge,” says Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil, adding, “Sadly, most member states have failed to honour their pledges of providing assets for Frontex’s missions. I think this is the most pressing issue because it is hindering the effectiveness of the agency.”
After six years of Frontex operations, the EU has now decided to beef up its mandate and resources. Perhaps, if Frontex had had more resources, it would have spotted the boat before the Italian coastguards did. Perhaps it would have saved lives.
European Parliament (EP) rapporteur Simon Busuttil agreed with the Council of Ministers on a new law that will pave the way for Frontex to purchase, lease, own and co-own assets. Significantly, through compulsory solidarity, member states will be legally bound to honour their commitments for national border guards assigned or seconded to the agency. Frontex will also have the power to process personal data obtained during missions and use it in the fight against crime.
On Tuesday, 13 September, the European Parliament will be voting on this new law to give Frontex a renewed mandate with more resources and tools at its disposal. It already has the approval of the Council of Ministers and if approved by the EP, will swiftly come into force.
If approved, this law will strengthen Frontex’s effectiveness. It will set up structures to monitor the protection of human rights, especially those of people seeking international protection in the course of the agency’s activities and will increase the amount of democratic scrutiny to which it is subjected by the EP.
Crucially, the law promises to increase Frontex’s visibility by establishing the European Border Guard Teams.
The agency will be better equipped to deter boat crossings simply because these crossings are too risky for migrants. Border control on the high seas will increase and therefore human trafficking will be stifled.
Frontex will act as a barrier to boat migrants but it will do so in a most dignified manner. African migrants will cross to Europe when invited by Europe and in a regulated and orderly fashion.
The debate on Tuesday is scheduled to be held from 9 to 11.30am and will be followed by the plenary vote. The debate and the vote can be followed online and can be downloaded from the online archive.
The live stream link is www.europarl.europa.eu/wps-europarl-internet/frd/live/live-video?language=en and the online archive link is www.europarl.europa.eu/wps-europarl-internet/frd/vod/player?session=last¤tSei=SEI1&language=en
David Stellini is a press advisor for the
EPP Group in the European Parliament