EU: Migration plan “woefully inadequate”

Responding to the European Commission’s ‘Action Plan to support Italy, reduce pressure and increase solidarity’ on the Central Mediterranean Route, Iverna McGowan, Director of the Amnesty International, European Institutions Office said: “This is a woefully inadequate plan that does little to address the dire situation in the Central Mediterranean and the lack of EU solidarity.”

“Instead of proposing yet more migrants be detained and more speedily returned, EU leaders need to once and for all take real action to prevent drownings at sea. Their priority must be to step up search and rescue, and provide safe and legal routes to Europe.”

“Outsourcing more and more responsibility for search and rescue to the Libyan Coastguard is irresponsible and ineffective and has led to more deaths at sea. In allowing the Libyan coastguard to intercept boats and return them to Libya, the EU is showing blatant disregard for the lives of refugees and migrants.”

Amnesty International is issuing a report ‘A Perfect Storm: The Failure of European Policies in the Central Mediterranean’, under embargo until 00.01 BST – 6 July, 2017.