Greece, Italy and Malta must hold fast as a triumvirate if the three countries are to force Europe’s hand into putting migrants tragedies on the agenda for discussion at this week’s European Council.
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras visited Malta earlier this week and exchanged views with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Mr Samaras immediately jetted off to Italy where he met Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta. In no uncertain terms, the three countries said they had formed a united front and will force immigration onto the agenda for discussion.
The summit comes at a time when the European Parliament also piled the pressure on the European Union, saying that the Lampedusa tragedy must mark a turning point for Europe. They can be prevented only by EU-coordinated efforts inspired by solidarity and responsibility, said Parliament on Wednesday, with a view to the summit which starts today.
The EU and its member states must do more to prevent further loss of life at sea, said the European Parliament. MEPs expressed deep sadness and regret at the tragic loss of life off Lampedusa, once again pointing the need for member states to abide by their international sea-rescue obligations in order to save the lives of people in danger.
The three governments have vowed that they will bring the issue to the fore, and while the EU seems to want to put the issue on the backburner, possibly to June next year, Greece, Italy and Malta are dead set on bringing it up and making tangible progress.
As in everything in life, there is strength in numbers. European Commissioner Cecelia Malmstrom has also softened her tone in recent weeks, but at the end of the day, it is up to the individual leaders to sit down around a table in Brussels and agree to thrash the matter out once and for all.
Many have said that the EU’s rhetoric is hollow and empty. To put it bluntly, it is. PN MEP David Casa has gone on record saying that Malta is sick of hearing nice words and empty promises. He is right and the sentiment on our streets is the same. It had to be a tragedy to open people’s eyes. There is a saying “out of sight, out of mind”. But once the footage of the tragedy made it to television, the world seems to have had a change of heart. Hundreds, if not thousands of people die in the Mediterranean Sea every year as their rickety boats take on water and sink. The couple of hundred that were rescued were the very lucky ones. Action has to be taken and it has to be taken now. The seas are getting rougher and the last desperate attempts at crossings will be made in the next month or so. It is Europe’s collective responsibility to prevent lives being lost.