Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

NGOs slam Europe for allowing migrant deaths in the Mediterranean

NGOs slam Europe for allowing migrant deaths in the Mediterranean

Italy faces the biggest influx of migrants since 2017. Over 900 people have died since January trying to cross the Mediterranean. NGOs accuse Europe and institutions of letting those fleeing conflict and poverty die at sea.

More than 45,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, marking the highest number since 2017. In response, the country's centre-right coalition has declared a state of emergency and repeated calls for more solidarity within the European Union to tackle these migratory flows.

In this latest episode of Euronews Witness, Monica Pinna takes us to Italy's southernmost border, the small island of Lampedusa, to find out what the Italian government, Europe, and NGOs are doing to address this migration crisis which shows no sign of slowing.


Minors facing the greatest threat


Italy’s far-right Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, came to power in October 2022 vowing to take a hard line against illegal immigration and push for Europe to work together to address the migration influx.

Her centre-right coalition has now launched a state of emergency to deal with the increase in migratory flows. The measure aims to accelerate reception procedures, but also speed-up expulsions.


Theoretically, this should alleviate some of the pressures felt by hotspots like Lampedusa. But this centre is systematically on the verge of collapse.

Migrants who arrive there are supposed to stay for just a few days in order to be identified and sent to reception or repatriation centres. But arrivals often end up staying for much longer.

The centre is conceived to accommodate 400 migrants, but at times it hosts more than three thousand people.

According to NGOs, Italy's reception system is poorly managed, and it is minors who are faced with the greatest risks.

Migrants board a boat after getting stopped by Tunisian Maritime National Guard at sea during an attempt to get to Italy, near the coast of Sfax, Tunisia, April 18, 2023


"The age of the people arriving has progressively considerably decreased," Lisa Bjelogrlich, from Save the Children told Euronews.

"From 2018 onwards the amount of available accommodation has decreased. The reception system for minors currently fails to meet their needs and has been depleted of resources," she added.


Search and rescue operations, and 'the criminalisation of NGOs'


Last February, the sinking of a migrant vessel from Turkey which issued an unanswered distress call off the coast of Calabria took the lives of 90 migrants.

This event prompted the Italian government to pass the Cutro Decree, which aims to clamp down on traffickers but also further tighten rules on migration and asylum.

"The war on sea rescue NGOs, and the abandoning of rescue operations in the Mediterranean has become increasingly evident with the centre-right government," revealed Giusi Ncolini, the former mayor of Lampedusa. "And it is increasingly clear that, in order not to prevent them from arriving, they prefer to let them die."

Since the Cutro disaster, shipwrecks continue to occur at an alarming rate.

“The withdrawal of European actors and the criminalisation of NGOs committed to search and rescue missions, created a huge vacuum in rescue operations,” said Tamino Böhm, the head of airborne operations at NGO, Sea-Watch, whose teams fly over a vast area of the central Mediterranean each day in search of boats in distress.

Tamino Böhm, the head of airborne operations at Sea-Watch


"There are still no state-funded, state-organised search and rescue in the central Mediterranean Sea. Very often we spot boats in distress and then there's no one to rescue and give assistance to the people,” he added.

In January, Rome issued further restrictive measures to limit humanitarian operations. NGOs failing to comply now face heavy sanctions.

A rescue ship funded by the street artist Banksy was detained for 20 days for rescuing more than 180 people in four separate rescue missions. This breaches a new ruling that states teams can carry out just one rescue operation at a time before returning to an assigned port.


How is Europe responding to the migration crisis?


NGOs have slammed Europe for failing to come together and coordinate to rescue migrants at sea. What's more, first-entry countries like Italy, Malta, Greece and Cyprus have denounced what they see as the derisory percentage of migrants being relocated in Europe.

"We see that people remain at sea many hours after our SOS, even days," said Chiara Denaro from Alarm Phone, an international volunteer network that collects distress calls from migrant boats.

"The Maltese authorities are very reluctant to launch rescue operations and to take over the coordination of operations," she added.

Italy has been providing funds, means and training to the Libyan Coast Guard since 2017. Malta followed on the basis of EU-funded cooperation agreements to combat illegal immigration and "strengthen border security."

In five years, about 100,000 people have been intercepted at sea and brought back to Libya in conditions that the UN and NGOs say represents a violation of human rights.

The number of migrants that have arrived in Italy since January 1st is 45,510 according to government figures published on May 15.

The most recent estimate for the number of missing migrants in the Central Mediterranean is 959, according to data from the Missing Migrants Project.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Trump Administration Seeks to Repurpose $4.9 Billion in Foreign Aid
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “The Current Welfare State Can No Longer Be Financed”
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
Wizz Air passengers screamed as storm-battered flight diverts to Bologna
European postal services halt U.S. deliveries after Trump imposes new tariffs
Urban explorer finds abandoned luxury restaurant left to decay
Fidesz leader labels Péter Magyar a ‘bluffer’ amid escalating political spat
French rope park operator arrested for denying entry to Israeli children
Újpest thrashes Zalaegerszeg 4-1 to secure first win in five matches
Profit-margin cap costs retailers 13 billion forints a month, warns trade group
Curiosity rover finds coral-like rock on Mars hinting at watery past
U.S. green policy rollback drives investors to Europe’s sustainable finance market
Special funerals rise in Hungary: boat, aerial and forest burials gain popularity
Hungary’s Kiskunság region turning into semi-desert after extreme drought
Kopasz Bálint wins world kayak 1000 m title in Milan, making him triple world champion
Budapest’s Keleti railway station to close for four weeks for track overhaul
Balaton could be unfit for swimming by 2035 and dry by 2050, scientists warn
Leaked guidelines show Meta’s AI allowed flirty and racist interactions with children
Filming of ‘Emily in Paris’ halted after assistant director dies on set
Filipino guest workers sue after Hungary moves to deport them for pregnancy
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
×