“The situation on board the ship has reached a critical level and must be resolved urgently to avoid a humanitarian tragedy,” said the EU executive.
The European Commission called on Wednesday 9 November for the “immediate disembarkation at the nearest safe portof the 234 migrants aboard the Ocean Viking, the last of four humanitarian ships stranded in the Mediterranean, the subject of a showdown between France and Italy.
“The situation on board the ship has reached a critical level and must be resolved urgently to avoid a humanitarian tragedy“, indicates the European executive in a press release. “The legal obligation to save lives at sea is clear and unequivocal, regardless of the circumstances that brought people into distress“recalls the Commission, urging”Member States to work together to find a common response“.
A solidarity mechanism
Italy has refused to welcome migrants from the Ocean Viking, a boat belonging to the NGO SOS Méditerranée blocked off its coast and which requested assistance from France on Tuesday. But Paris did not confirm this reception and condemned a “unacceptable behaviorof Rome, calling him to “respect its European commitments“.
Read alsoShipwrecked migrants: France does not “doubt” that Italy will host the Ocean Viking
The European Commission, pointing out that “it is important to help Member Stateson the coasts from which migrants arrive, recalls that a solidarity mechanism was approved in June, allowing “relocate» asylum seekers from countries of arrival to other EU states.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday defended her new hard line on migration, saying that “on board these boats, there are no shipwrecked people but migrants“.
The most vulnerable migrants
The Italian government allowed two aid ships to dock in Sicily over the weekend, but only the most vulnerable migrants were allowed to disembark initially, mostly women and minors. Faced with pressure from NGOs warning about the hygiene conditions on board, the other passengers were finally disembarked on Tuesday evening. Another ship, the Rise Above, landed all of its 89 survivors in Calabria on Tuesday.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed on Wednesday that this sorting of migrants was intended to force Europe to help Italy more.
SEE ALSO – The question of the day: migrants, should France welcome the ship Ocean Viking?