SOS Mediterranee condemns EU commission perception of migration, sea rescue through policing, border control lens

SOS Mediterranee, an European organisation that sees to the rescue of lives at sea, has condemned what it described as EU_commission continuous view of migration and sea rescue through the lens of policing and border control.

For SOS Mediterranee, migration and sea rescue should be treated as humanitarian issues.

SOS Mediterranee’s spoke in reaction to recent EU Council adoption of a reform of the European migration and asylum system.

Contrary to the EU Council’s convictions that its moving in the right direction, SOS Mediterranee said: “The pact adopted on Tuesday by @EU_commission continues to view migration and sea rescue through the lens of policing and border control rather than treating them as the humanitarian issues they are.

“The rules agreed by the Member States decrease the level of protection for people seeking safety & erodes their rights while ignoring the need for a European-led Search & Rescue program in the #Mediterranean. The Pact does not provide any measures to prevent deaths at sea.”

SOS Mediterranee went to to express fears that those seeking safety will be forced to adopt even more dangerous routes. “Although 2023 was the deadliest year in the #Mediterranean since 2017, the 2024 Pact sees no solutions to effectively prevent these deaths in line with maritime & humanitarian law.”