In a far-ranging speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on a debate on irregular immigration, following the tragedy in Lampedusa last week, Maltese Member of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola called for a move away from populism to a holistic approach to irregular immigration that addresses all the different aspects of the issue.
“The Mediterranean does not have to remain a cemetery of broken people and shattered dreams. We cannot allow memories to fade and faces to become statistics. We cannot allow what we witnessed in Lampedusa to ever happen again. We must show the courage to not only tweet our outrage but to propose holistic solutions that work,” said MEP Metsola
Calling on the EU and its Member States to show the moral leadership needed in light of the tragedy, MEP Metsola identified key areas that the European Union could work on including a call to explore options whereby people are given the opportunity to have their asylum applications assessed in third countries. This, she said, would “render the thousands of dangerous journeys to Europe redundant and must be accompanied by legislation that makes every Member State step up to the plate and fairly share the responsibility.”
“At the same time relevant authorities must be given more tools that they need to tackle the organised crime that preys on the most vulnerable, and we must pledge more, much more, development aid to countries in Africa that are trying so hard to get back on to their feet” stated MEP Metsola.
MEP Metsola also referred to the European Commission’s proposal to set up a Mediterranean search and rescue operation, and the current review of the Frontex operational guidelines, saying that there is a need to pass laws that make it easy for people rescued, for example in any Frontex joint operation, in the middle of the sea to be taken to the closest place of safety.
Identifying another aspect to the migration debate, MEP Metsola appealed for the EU institutions and Member States to help Libya develop a functioning system of asylum and finally called for the return of failed asylum seekers to safe countries of origin to be facilitated.
Concluding MEP Metsola said that “Now is the time for those ready to break the mould and think outside the box. We must find solutions. Now.”
MEP Metsola is the only Maltese Member of the European Parliament’s LIBE (Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) Committee, which is the European Parliament Committee responsible for irregular immigration.
