The Malta Agreement (“agreement on temporary reception and
distribution mechanism”) is not a hard-won solution, but nothing more
than a partial emergency relief. We, European civil society initiatives
and networks, mayors of European cities and search and rescue
non-governmental organizations, demand a real solution that is adequate
to the scale of the
humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.
Over 15.000 people have died in the Mediterranean Sea in the last
five years. “Every single person is one too many,” says Alessandra
Sciurba from Mediterranea. “When we receive distress calls from people
on boats, they fear both to drown and to be returned to Libya. The
outsourcing of EU border control to Libyan forces and mass interceptions
at sea have to
stop,“ demands Maurice Stierl from WatchTheMed Alarm
Phone. “ The establishment of an operational and sustainable European
rescue mission is absolutely necessary in order to prevent deaths in the
Mediterranean Sea. Sadly, it is still missing in the Malta agreement”,
adds Sciurba.
The deal signed in Malta is disingenuous, as it ignores the fact that
many civil rescue ships are either blocked or confiscated by state
authorities. Additionally, it does not address the situation into which
merchant ships are forced. “ Future relocation mechanisms must take them
into account in order to prevent further cases of non-assistance and
illegal push backs to
Libya. Who is going to be responsible for
setting up a rescue mission that corresponds to the scope of the crisis?
Frankly, the proposed measures fall short of our mildest expectations.”
admits Oliver Kulikowski from Sea-Watch.
The temporary disembarkation agreement does not in any sense address
the main cause of flight – the Libyan detention camps. The EU refuses,
time and again, to come up with any viable solution for the people
caught in the crossfire of the Libyan civil war. “The collaboration
between the EU and the criminal Libyan Coast Guard results in illegal
push-backs banned by international law. This is not a solution: it makes
the unbearable
situation of the refugees trapped in Libya even
worse,” claims Alina Lyapina from the German movement Seebruecke. “We
demand an immediate and direct evacuation of all refugees from the
Libyan detention camps to Europe. Anything less than that is
unacceptable to us,” she continues.
We emphasize that the large reception capacities of European cities must be taken into account. In Germany alone, over 100 cities and municipalities are willing to take in refugees. “For us, saving lives at sea or, really, anywhere is not simply an act of goodwill. Providing aid to those in need is an integral part of the society we want to live in, that is based on transnational solidarity, universal human rights, acceptance and global openness,” declares Stephan Neher, Mayor of the German city of Rottenburg on Neckar.
The awful tragedies in the Mediterranean Sea and in Moria can be
avoided in a simple way: we call on the EU states to remove all
restrictions on civil society and cities’ initiatives on migration
policy. We want to act responsibly, welcome the rescued and treat them
with dignity and respect. “If they seek a new home, we are ready to
offer them one – in our
communities. They can be Neapolitans,
Palermitans, Berliners or Barcelonians if they want to.” concludes Luigi
de Magistris, Mayor of Naples.
What is Palermo Charter Platform Process?
We are
humanitarian and rescue NGOs, civil society organisations and activist
groups, including Sea-Watch, Alarm Phone, Mediterranea, Seebrücke, Aita
Mari, Jugend Rettet, Borderline Europe, Inura, Open Arms and Welcome to
Europe, as well as the representatives of several European cities and
municipalities, such as Naples, Barcelona and Palermo, all united under
the slogan “From the Sea to the Cities!” Our network was born in
Palermo
in 2018 in the spirit of the Charter of Palermo, with its central
demand for the right to mobility. We demand a de-confiscation of all
civil rescue ships, an end to the criminalization of sea rescue and
solidarity, an
immediate stop to the EU collaboration with Libya and
other “third countries” involved in severe human rights violations.
Instead, we advocate for the “Corridors of Solidarity” – relocation and
distribution of refugees and migrants to the countries of their desired
destination – while drawing inspiration from the work of solidarity and
sanctuary cities all over Europe.