On Thursday, the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee approved, by an overwhelming majority, 23 votes in favour, 3 abstentions and no rejections, Marlene Mizzi's report on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach on migration. The purpose of MEP Mizzi's opinion is to directly feed into the European Parliament's strategic Report on Migration and to provide deliberate recommendations to the Member States and to the European Commission to address the migration crisis in a concrete and effective manner.
On the same day of this vote, a few blocks away, from the European Parliament, the leaders of the 28 EU member states gathered in Brussels for the EU summit which was also dominated by the refugee crisis and the EU's struggles with the mass influx of migrants. The preparations for the Valletta Summit to be held on 11-12 November were one of the main items on the Agenda of the EU heads of States on Thursday where the debate focused on how to improve the cooperation processes between Europe and Africa.
Speaking immediately following the vote on her report, Marlene Mizzi said: “It is indeed very satisfying to see the positive result that we got on this opinion especially when one considers the difficulty to reach an agreement among the different Member States and different political groups on this particular issue. The fact that there was an overwhelming majority and no votes against shows the willingness of the PETI Committee to respond to the migration crisis and establish an effective, humanitarian and safe European migration policy."
The Report looks into the numerous petitions submitted by EU citizens to the European Parliament on a wide range of issues relating to the crisis in the Mediterranean and the tragic loss of life at sea and calls on the European Commission and Member States to act in a swift and determined manner to improve the situation. Marlene Mizzi's report highlights the major imbalances that exist in the EU migration policy and the pressures that puts on countries such as Malta and Italy facing an increased influx of migrants, the ineffectiveness of the Dublin regulation, the lack of a comprehensive EU migration policy and the failure to apply the principle of solidarity.
Marlene Mizzi said: “Immigration is EU citizens’ fastest-growing concerns, according to the latest Eurobarometer poll. With this opinion we have ensured that citizens' concerns on migration are finally heard. I have proposed various short-term and medium-term measures in response to the crisis, but what is also very important is that the report acknowledges the key role the Valletta summit has in providing international framework agreement to tackle the root causes of migration and in opening a dialogue with third countries to insure international solidarity and cooperation not only among EU members states but also worldwide.”
“Last but not least, I have recommended the creation of a centralised EU migration data management mechanism, which would better analyse information on migration flows and patterns in sea crossing and thus help us strengthen consistent planning and crisis management, so that we can activate early warning systems at EU level.”