Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi recently tabled a parliamentary question in the European Parliament asking the European Commission to provide the public with the necessary information regarding what type of action it was willing to take to solve the problem of irregular migration and to prevent another tragedy involving the loss of hundreds lives in the deadly Mediterranean Sea.

The parliamentary question addressed to the European Commission by MEP Mizzi referred to the April tragedy when some 850 migrants drowned in a single incident. In her question, Marlene Mizzi said that to date, no real action has been taken and that we cannot face any more tragedies like this, and should act now. She also asked the Commission what real action the EU will take to establish a solidarity mechanism for the fair distribution of migrant arrivals.

Ms Mizzi said: "The Commission answer came on the same day when another major rescue operation took place 15 miles off Libyan coast after a boat carrying 700 migrants capsized. The rescue operation saved many lives, but sadly and tragically many deaths have been confirmed." In his reply, Dimitris Avramopoulos the European Commissioner on Migration said that on 27 May 2015 it adopted a package of initiatives covering several aspects of the migration debate, which are part of a comprehensive migration strategy that it developed in response to migratory pressures and to better manage migration through solidarity mechanisms and in a structural way.

MEP Mizzi said: "Very often, when migration is discussed, people are referred to in terms of numbers and statistics and the complexities associated with the issue overshadow the fact that we are dealing with human lives. The problem of irregular migration is first and foremost a human tragedy. I am therefore asking the European Commission to indicate what kind of concrete urgent actions it is willing to provide, firstly to stop these tragedies from happening again and secondly to assist those countries bordering the European Union who want to find a dignified solution to this problem."

Marlene Mizzi concluded: "In light of yesterday's tragedy, I can only say that the actions taken by the Commission are still unsustainable and ineffective to the current needs. As a rapporteur to the PETI Opinion on migration I will continue to insist that without the right combination of EU tools and cooperation between the Member States, Europe will continue to firefight with little hope, no solutions and more deaths."