#TimeForAction on migration

The boat tragedy in the Mediterranean over the weekend has shown us yet again just how crucial it is for Europe to take a concrete stand on migration and move on from tweeted condolences and empty statements to real action.

The time for action is now. It is already too late for the thousands of people who died crossing the Mediterranean.

The time for action is now. It is already too late for the thousands of people who died crossing the Mediterranean. Member States cannot bicker while bodies continue to wash up on our beaches.

A European issue requiring a European solution

It is a situation that we should not tolerate any longer. We should be angry that another summer is with us and that it has got this far.

Migration is a European issue that requires a European solution. It is not the issue of Italy or Malta or Greece but of every single EU Member State.

In my first speech to the European Parliament nearly two years ago, I said that migration is a European issue that requires a European solution. It is not the issue of Italy or Malta or Greece but of every single EU Member State.

Two years down the line, this message has not got through to Member States enough. The warning signs have been there for years and, in the last months, we have heard warning after warning from NGOs, the UN and the EU's own agencies that the instability in Libya will mean that migration flows will increase across the Mediterranean.

We have found the funds, the political will and the assets to practically eradicate piracy off the Somali coast, but we have yet to manage the same commitment to save lives, boost security, tackle criminal networks and address the migration issue with the same vigour

Developing a common holistic strategy

This is why it is so important that, together with Italian S&D MEP Kashetu Kyenge, we launched a bipartisan report on migration, and why it is so important that, together with the Commission's new policy on migration due in May, we look at every aspect of migration and asylum and send a strong message to our citizens that Europe stands with them and will not allow the Mediterranean to continue its descent into a cemetery of broken promises, broken hopes and broken lives.

Our message cannot be one of political bickering but of unity

The European asylum system is under pressure and has been for some time. That is why our report will aim to encompass both the internal and external dimension of the issue, while fully involving all those political groups that want to participate.

Our message cannot be one of political bickering but of unity.

Fair sharing of responsibilities between Member States AND fighting human trafficking

We want our report to take a holistic approach to issues such as:

Solidarity with the most-affected countries, fair sharing of responsibility and how we can improve search and rescue capabilities;
Upping our fight against human trafficking and the hubs of organised crime that prey on the most vulnerable of people;
Ensuring effective implementation of the Common European Asylum System;
Addressing migration routes and the situation in the most-affected Member States;
Looking into systems of safe and legal migration to ease the humanitarian situation in crisis areas and for legal economic migration channels;
Improving our return and resettlement policies and coordination with and humanitarian support for third states;
Looking at how Home Affairs funds are best spent.

We also need to look at the practical side of border security and the fight against human trafficking, with the new phenomenon of ghosts ships in the Mediterranean, and look at what issues are faced by our police, border guards and FRONTEX at our border crossings.

With the situation in Syria and the deteriorating situation in Libya we must prepare for our systems to be challenged again and we need to be ready to step up to the plate and address them head on, while ensuring that our agencies have the resources to deal with the situation

In 2014 the EU registered close to 650,000 applications for international protection, representing an increase of 40% compared to 2013. With the situation in Syria and the deteriorating situation in Libya we must prepare for our systems to be challenged again and we need to be ready to step up to the plate and address them head on, while ensuring that our agencies have the resources to deal with the situation.

We are also hearing more and more about the need for solidarity with those Member States that face the largest impact from migration and the results of human trafficking. Coming from Malta, I cannot but underline this point one more time.

We need solidarity with those Member States that face the most impact of migration and the results of human trafficking

Legal migration

What is happening in the Mediterranean is a direct consequence of what is happening in sub-Saharan Africa and Libya. We need to do more to help the countries in the region to get back on their feet and stop the push factor in the long term.

In the meantime, the answer is not fortress Europe. We also need to look at legal migration routes as part of our strategy.

If we ignore any one aspect, we will not get to a solution.

We also need to look at legal migration routes as part of our strategy

After the Lampedusa tragedy in 2013, the European Parliament passed a crucial cross-party resolution that helps map the way forward on these issues. After all the rhetoric, I expected Member States to pick up the baton and push it forward. They have not yet done enough.

Our job is to help find solutions and we must cooperate together to ensure that this happens.

The bottom line is this: immigration and asylum deserve a better, fairer, European response. I am optimistic that we will get there.