Off the wire
• (Special for CAFS) Nigerian opposition candidate pledges to explore non-oil sector to revamp economy  • Algeria, Senegal vow to revive bilateral cooperation  • 7 militants killed in Sinai by Egypt forces  • News Analysis: Egypt's Sisi makes fair bid prior to parliamentary elections  • 14 Islamic State fighters killed in Syria's Deir al-Zour  • 1st LD Writethru: U.S. stocks plunge into red territory after volatile trading  • Belgium's capital city to stage second Brussels Chocolate Salon  • 68.83 mln voters register for Nigeria's February polls  • 1st LD Writethru: U.S. dollar rises on upbeat data  • Roundup: Turkey, Germany set up mechanism to boost economic ties  
You are here: 　 Home

EU calls for coordinated actions to curb Mediterranean migrant smuggling

Xinhua, January 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

A senior European Union official told the European Parliament (EP) on Tuesday that decisive and coordinated EU actions are needed to solve the current crisis of refugees in the Mediterranean Sea.

EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos told MEPs: "We cannot allow ruthless smugglers to make a fortune out migrants trying to find safe passage and protection in Europe."

But he pointed out that the current situation will not just go away. "If decisive and coordinated EU action is not taken the flow (of migrants) will continue," he said. "The European Commission is determined to take action."

Christmas and New Year saw dramatic incidents of smuggling of migrants, mostly Syrian refugees, in cargo ships sailing from Turkey to Italy.

The human traffickers who had bought the ships abandoned vessel and the migrants on board, leaving the ships to float unguided once they were near EU member state coastlines.

The 'ghost ships' carry a "brutal trade in human lives", said German MEP Monika Hohlmeier, for the centre-right EPP. She also called on Turkey to work with the EU to fight organised crime more effectively, demanded better cooperation among member states.

Timothy Kirkhope, for the UK-led Conservatives group, stressed the EU should look at strengthening border surveillance while calling for tougher criminal sanctions against human smugglers.

In the first nine months of 2014 more than 3,000 people died in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach EU territory, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

Italy is often the target for migrants trying to reach the EU. The country's maritime patrol and rescue operation, Mare Nostrum (Our Sea), managed to rescue over 150,000 migrants during 364 days. But the Italian government is phasing out the initiative.

Frontex, an EU body to coordinate border policy among member states, launched its joint operation 'Triton' in November 2014. This deploys surveillance and rescue boats in the Mediterranean. However, it is unclear as to what further contributions will be made by EU states in the future.

Avramopoulos said that Triton, along with the Italian navy, has saved the lives of thousands of migrants since its launch and helped prosecute and investigate dozens of people smugglers in cooperation with Europol. Enditem