10-10-2011 MEPs ask questions on the humanitarian emergency in the Mediterranean Sea

In the aftermath of the unrest in North-Africa, thousands of people have tried to flee to Europe by boats. Hundreds of them got shipwrecked in the Mediterranean Sea and are now dead or missing.

41 MEPs from several parties (EPP, S&D, ALDE, EFD) point out that these people are victims of human trafficking and the exploitation of illegal immigration and that they may also be potential asylum seekers fleeing conflict or persecution. Moreover they regret that the EU has not undertaken coordinated and effective action to stop the human emergency.

Therefore the MEPs asked the European Commission how it intends to combat trafficking in human beings effectively, by means of maritime surveillance of the North African coasts. Furthermore, they inquired if the European Commission will provide for an adequate funding for the social and economic development of North African countries on the basis of rewards for 'virtuous' third countries. Finally the MEPs asked if the camps for refugees and displaced persons will be upgraded and extended.

In relation to this, on September 13th, the European Parliament adopted a final compromise revising EU legislation on Frontex, to improve the agencys effectiveness. Frontex was established in 2005 to enhance the EUs external border security. Simply put, its responsibility is to ensure that the EUs external borders remain permeable and efficient for bona fide travellers, while being an effective barrier to cross-border crime. The adopted final compromise has several admitted measures regarding human rights protection. For instance, to ensure that the fundamental human rights will be fully respected in all Frontex actions, the agency will hire a "fundamental rights officer" and set up a "consultative forum on fundamental rights" to assist the agency's management board. The consultative forum will include the EU Fundamental Rights and Asylum Support agencies, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and NGOs specialising in this field.

By means of adopting the revision, including advanced measured to protect human rights, the EU seems to have undertaken more action to stop the human emergency in the Mediterranean Sea. However, the Greens consider the admitted measures half-hearted and unconvincing. As spokesperson Franziska Keller puts it, the revision will fall short, since the measures to ensure the guarantee of basic rights as part of this legislative revision are not legally binding. Click here to read the full statement of MEP Franziska Keller.

As the European Commission (DG Devco) put making migration work for development as one of the priorities in the PCD work programme, Fair Politics wonders how this is put into practice. What exactly happens with the refugees that are intercepted by Frontex? What chances do they get to migrate to Europe and seek asylum? And what are the consequences when they have to return to their home country? Already before the revision, the Frontex regulation contained clauses stating that fundamental rights were fully respected by the regulation and that the regulation should be applied with full respect for obligations arising under the international law of the sea, in particular as regards search and rescue. Moreover, according to article 2, the rights of refugees and persons requesting international protection would be applied, and article 6.2 stated that human dignity should be fully respected. All of that seems not to have been applied by Frontex in this case.

Fair Politics hopes that even though the admitted measures to ensure the guarantee of basic rights are not legally binding, the extra emphasis on human rights will prevent situations like the human emergency in the Mediterranean Sea in the future.

Fair Politics would like to thank the MEPs for raising the issue of the lacking EU action to end the tragedies in the Mediterranean Sea and for their questions about possible improvements. All groups involved will be rewarded one point.

Parliamentary questions
16 June 2011 O-000152/2011

In recent weeks, there has been an increase in the number of shipwrecked migrants, with hundreds of people dead and missing, in the Mediterranean Sea.
These are people who are victims of human trafficking and the exploitation of illegal immigration; they may also be potential asylum seekers fleeing conflict or persecution.
This succession of tragedies has, unfortunately, not yet been met with coordinated and effective action by the EU and it is likely that these events will continue on an almost daily basis, amidst growing indifference.
Can the Commission therefore answer the following questions:
1. How does it intend to step up maritime surveillance of the North African coasts to combat trafficking in human beings effectively and what role will it ask individual Member States to play in support of Frontex's activities?
2. Does it intend, together with Europol and the Member States, to develop more stringent operational measures in order to identify the human trafficking chains in the Mediterranean, in addition to the albeit useful analysis of European trends?
3. How does it intend to strengthen partnership agreements with North African countries by implementing effective measures to prevent illegal migration?
4. Will it provide for adequate funding for the social and economic development of North African countries under the next EU financial programme and will that funding be allocated on the basis of rewards for 'virtuous' third countries?
5. Will the camps for refugees and displaced persons be upgraded and extended, in agreement with the authorities of the North African countries and within a wider framework for cooperation stemming from the additional appropriations agreed on by the G8 to help revive social and economic development in those countries?

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