| Series Title | BBC News |
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| Series Details | 19.04.15 |
| Publication Date | 19/04/2015 |
| Content Type | News |
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News sources on the 19 April 2015 reported a further major incident in the waters between North Africa and the Italian and Maltese coastline involving migrants. It was feared that 800 people drowned in a migrant shipwreck off the coast of Libya [some reports suggested the figure might be even higher]. The disaster was described as one of the worst ever to occur amid the ongoing migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. The European Commission said in a statement 'The European Commission is currently consulting with Member States, European agencies and international organisations in order to prepare a new European Migration Strategy, which will be adopted by the Commission in mid-May. What we need is immediate actions to prevent further loss of life as well as a comprehensive approach to managing migration better in all its aspects'. 'This disaster confirms how urgent it is to restore a robust rescue-at-sea operation and establish credible legal avenues to reach Europe. Otherwise people seeking safety will continue to perish at sea,' said António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 'But it also points to the need for a comprehensive European approach to address the root causes that drive so many people to this tragic end. I hope the EU will rise to the occasion, fully assuming a decisive role to prevent future such tragedies'. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi called for more European Union action on sea migration, requested a summit meeting on the issue and bemoaned a lack of European solidarity. The situation was added to the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council, Luxembourg, 20 April 2015, at which Foreign Ministers were joined by EU Interior Ministers. President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, tweeted on the 19 April 2015 'Talked to PM Muscat after tragic deaths in Mediterranean. Will continue talks w/ EU leaders, Commission & EEAS on how to alleviate situation'. It was suggested that he was planning an extraordinary summit. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) asked the EU to once again support life-saving operations on the scale of the Italian run Mare Nostrum program shut down in late 2014 on the grounds that it was encouraging irregular migrants to take to the seas. |
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| Source Link | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32371348 |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
| Countries / Regions | Europe, Italy, Northern Africa, Southern Europe |
