BRUSSELS - In view of the extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council scheduled on November 25, 2022, the European Commission has presented to the Council an "action plan of the European Union divided into 20 points" aimed at dealing with "immediate challenges" in the central Mediterranean route.
In its action plan on immigration, the Commission recommended to "promote discussions within the International Maritime Organization on the need for a specific framework and guidelines for boats with particular attention on search and rescue activities, in particular in light of developments in the European context".
"The situation along the central Mediterranean route is unsustainable", said the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, presenting the action plan on migration in the Mediterranean. "Rescuing lives at sea is always necessary and this needs to be underlined". The action plan proposes a series of 20 measures around three pillars to be taken to the EU and member States, aimed at cutting down irregular and unsafe migration, providing solutions to emerging challenges in the search and rescue sector and boosting solidarity in harmony with the responsibility of member States.
The first pillar provides for the "collaboration with partner countries and international organizations". "The EU - the plan said - will boost the capacities of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya to guarantee a better management of borders and migration; it will strengthen the fight against migrant trafficking and improve diplomatic engagement on repatriations while intensifying legal pathways towards the EU".
The second pillar provides for a "more coordinated approach to search and rescue". "The action plan - continued the document - proposes measures to boost cooperation between member States and all the actors involved in search and rescue activities in the central Mediterranean, using the European Contact Group on Search and Rescue announced as part of the New Pact. Frontex, together with the interested member States, will carry out an evaluation of the situation in the central Mediterranean. Closer coordination with UNHCR and IOM", the International Organization for Migration, "will be guaranteed. Discussions should also be promoted within the International Maritime Organization over the need for a specific framework and guidelines for ships, with particular attention to search and rescue activities".
The third pillar instead provides to boost the "implementation of the voluntary mechanism of solidarity" and of the joint action plan. The declaration of solidarity agreed on June 22, 2022, provides for a "voluntary and temporary mechanism for a year, which creates a bridge towards a future permanent system provided for by the pact", it also said. "The action plan proposes to accelerate the implementation of the mechanism, also to provide quick support to member States receiving arrivals by sea, improving flexibility, slimming down processes and funding alternative measures of solidarity".
ì
