In 2018, several European countries agreed to set up a "solidarity mechanism" with the aim of fairly redistributing migrants, rescued in the Mediterranean, among them. InfoMigrants takes a closer look at the scheme's function and limitations.
The German sea rescue NGO Sea-Watch has accused the Maltese government of deliberate inaction when it comes to saving the lives of migrants and refugees in Mediterranean waters. In a series of tweets, the private sea rescue organization said that Maltese armed forces only appeared to intervene in such cases when they received according orders.
The German-run private rescue vessel Sea-Watch 3 has picked up around 120 migrants in three rescue operations in the central Mediterranean on Thursday and early Friday morning.
The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) will deploy up to 2,000 personnel to Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta in 2020 to support national authorities with asylum and reception. While support to Greece will double compared to 2019, support to Italy will be decreased as the country faces less workload within first instance asylum procedures.
Nearly 1,300 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean in 2019, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement published on January 3. The 1,282 drownings were 44% down on 2018, it said. The number of deaths since 2014 was now 19,164, IOM reported.
The German captain of a Mediterranean migrant rescue ship has had a conviction overturned by a Maltese court. Claus-Peter Reisch helped over 200 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
Seven European cities have come together to create the "Border Towns and Islands Network" (BTIN) to promote cooperation in migration policies. The network is aimed at sponsoring collaboration and reciprocal support among border cities and islands.
The Libyan coast guard has reportedly taken 30 migrants off the supply ship "OOC Panther" that rescued them on Saturday in the Central Mediterranean. According to charity search and rescue groups, armed Libyan guards had previously boarded the ship in an attempt to force the migrants to return to Libya.
Two charity boats, carrying a total of 140 migrants saved from Mediterranean waters, have been given permission to board and disembark their passengers in Italian ports after a number of EU nations agreed to take in some of the rescued migrants. However, there have also been more deaths at sea over the weekend.
Malta has signed a ‘secret deal’ with Libyan authorities to intercept migrants before they reach Maltese waters and take them back to Libya, the ‘The Times of Malta’ has reported. The Maltese government denies the charge.
The two rescue ships Alan Kurdi and Ocean Viking were assigned a safe harbor at the Italian port of Pozzallo in Sicily. The nearly 200 migrants will be distributed to France, Germany and Italy, according to the private rescue organization SOS Mediterranee. A pregnant woman had been evacuated over the weekend, and one man remains missing since the Alan Kurdi rescued 91 migrants on Saturday.
Malta reportedly asked the Libyan coast guard to rescue a migrant boat in Maltese waters. The UN agency has said that this may be a violation of maritime laws.