Ireland under pressure to help more with migrant crisis

Taoiseach Enda Kenny is under pressure to offer practical help at today’s emergency EU summit dealing with the tragedy of migrants dying in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe.

Thu, 23 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Ann Cahill

Ireland has taken 200 Syrian refugees from among the thousands who have been fleeing the civil war in their country, but EU leaders will discuss a much more comprehensive approach this evening.

Much of the emphasis is on preventing migrants — mostly fleeing from war and poverty — coming to Europe in the first place and ships, planes and personnel will be requested to beef up the two relatively small missions in the region.

This will mean at least tripling the €3m being spent on these Triton and Poseidon missions off Italy and Greece.

EU leaders are under pressure to stop more migrants dying in the Mediterranean after up to 900 migrants lost their lives on Sunday when their boat sank on its way to Europe from Libya.

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There are also controversial proposals to send personnel to countries such as Niger, Tunisia and Egypt, to co-operate with local authorities vetting migrants in camps.

Some want greater emphasise on arresting the smugglers profiting from putting migrants on board often unseaworthy vessels and seizing their boats.

However, this would most likely require an invitation from Libya which has no functioning government, or a UN mandate.

The European Commission is to come up with a pilot project where EU countries would be obliged to take specific numbers, but whether this would take account of the numbers already in countries is unclear. Sweden has taken proportionately the largest number in the EU followed by Germany.

Britain and the Netherlands fear any system to rescue or settle migrants would act as a ‘pull factor’ and encourage more to take the dangerous journey that has claimed more than 1,300 lives this year so far.

Others point out that the influx has not reduced since Italy’s Mare Nostrum mission ceased having saved 150,000 lives and arrested 330 smugglers over 12 months.