Today the European Parliament marked 10 years from the tragedy in Lampedusa. In her statement, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said that an agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on the Asylum and Migration Pact must be found before the end of the term.
Today marks 10 years since the Lampedusa shipwreck. A terrible tragedy that claimed the lives of over 360 people.
And the sad truth is that the migrant shipwreck of 2013 has far from been an isolated tragedy. The cemetery of the Mediterranean has claimed the lives of thousands more women, children and men since then.
The recent emergencies on the island of Lampedusa, as well as on other neighbouring countries, serve as a reminder that migration is our generation’s challenge.
Europe must respond in a way that is fair and humane with those seeking protection, that is firm with those who are not eligible and that is strong with criminal networks who are still exploiting the vulnerable.
With only half a year before the end of our mandate, we need an agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on the Asylum and Migration Pact before the end of the term. We will discuss the urgency of the package’s adoption tomorrow in this hemicycle.
The European Parliament’s commitment to finding a way forward remains unwavering. For all those who lost their lives, for all the victims of exploitation, for all those families never to be reunited. The European Parliament remembers them.