Migrants: EU Commission, “legal and moral duty to save lives at sea”

“Once again I would like to point out that there is a legal and moral duty to save lives at sea. There is a legal duty established by international law for the member states, to do it regardless of the condition that led them to be a danger at sea”. This was said by a spokesman of the EU Commission at the daily press briefing in Brussels as he answered the journalists’ questions on the statements made in the last few hours by the Italian Government about the procedures to let migrants disembark selectively. “We are closely monitoring the situation; there are currently four ships with 573 people on board that asked for a safe landing place and are waiting instructions from the national authorities. Three ships are already in Italian waters, and we welcome the fact that last night, at about 10.00pm, Italy allowed these vulnerable people to disembark. There is also the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, there, to give support. The EU Commission is not responsible for coordinating such operations at seas, nor for finding a landing place”, he added.
Valentina Bombelli