If we fail to save lives, all hope will be lost - Aditus Foundation

The Aditus foundation has expressed its belief that the EU’s ten point action plan on migration needs to emphasize the necessity of saving lives and the urgency of mobilizing all necessary resources to do so.

“We reiterate our serious concerns that men, women and children have been drowning in the Mediterranean for many years,” a statement issued by the organization said.

“Despite all our calls for efforts, attempts to prevent such tragedies have so far not been received by strong and effective political commitments,” the statement reads.

The foundation also added that it welcomes the migration plan as a possible sign of such commitment, but it noted that the plan essentially repeated proposals and recommendations made over recent years.

“In particular, it omits to include efforts at preventing Mediterranean crossings by exploring safe and legal avenues of entry into Europe.”

“It also fails to mention the need to guarantee dignified reception conditions to survivors, to ensure prompt access to asylum procedures and to establish appropriate modalities to respectfully deal with corpses and their possessions,” the foundation explained.

The foundation also stressed that the terrible activities of unscrupulous human smugglers and traffickers should definitely be curbed, but that these efforts would be futile if the dependency on smuggling and trafficking was not properly addressed.

“It is imperative that any plan is firmly based on the principle of solidarity as enshrined in the spirit of the European Union. We also stress that any measure seeking to contain migrants in Libya should not be considered in view of the on-going conflict, rendering Libya unable to protect its own nationals and any person on its territory.”

The foundation expressed its hope that tomorrow’s European Council meeting would first and foremost end with a loud and clear statement in favour of human life, coupled with a firm commitment to immediately engage in life-saving activities.

“We also look forward to the Council building on the plan’s proposals in recognition of the situation’s complex nature, requiring solutions that are comprehensive, inclusive and respect fundamental human rights at all stages,” it added saying that the foundation expected tomorrow’s European Council meeting to be a reminder of the values Europe stands for.