Up to 5,000 migrants could die in Med in 2016 – Grandi

(ANSA) - Rome, December 2 - As many as 5,000 migrants could die during the perilous sea voyage to Europe by the end of the year, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the Med Dialogues forum in Rome on Friday.
    Europe "needs to reform its refugee reception system. This is a global crisis," Grandi said.
    "The Turkish situation cannot resolve the problem" of migration "and it probably cannot be replicated in other situations" the UN high commissioner continued.
    "We suggest a different approach: to consider the migrant crisis not as a European but as a global crisis in which the EU can play the leadership role," Grandi said.
    "What we are proposing is better prevention concerning migration flows and Europe needs to play a stronger political role in conflict resolution and management in the source countries," he continued.
    "The second point is that it is necessary to give stability to those who are fleeing by providing more focused assistance to host countries. The third point is to try to provide alternative paths for people who are on the move," Grandi said.
    The UN refugee agency is making "very concrete suggestions" concerning how Europe can reform its reception system, he added.