IMO Sec-Gen welcomes EU ten-point plan on migration

Ahead of the EU emergency meeting

IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu has welcomed the10 point plan of immediate actions to be taken in response to the crisis situation in the Mediterranean, adopted by EU Foreign and Interior Ministers.

In his view, the 10-point plan represents progress towards his primary goal of preventing unsafe, overloaded craftfrom taking to sea in the first place. The inherent danger posed not only to the migrants onboard these unseaworthy vessels, but to the brave naval, coast guard and merchant seamen on the front lines of search and rescue, must be mitigated.

Action needs to be taken against the unscrupulous criminals who organize these treacherous passages on unregulated and dangerously overcrowded vessels. And at the same time, there needs to be coordinated action to manage the flow of migrants so that they are not exploited and taken to sea in overladen and unsafe craft, the Secretary-General said.

The ten-point plan include the following actions:

1. Reinforce the Joint Operations in the Mediterranean, namely Triton and Poseidon, by increasing the financial resources and the number of assets. We will also extend their operational area, allowing us to intervene further, within the mandate of Frontex;
2. A systematic effort to capture and destroy vessels used by the smugglers. The positive results obtained with the Atalanta operation should inspire us to similar operations against smugglers in the Mediterranean;
3. EUROPOL, FRONTEX, EASO and EUROJUST will meet regularly and work closely to gather information on smugglers modus operandi, to trace their funds and to assist in their investigation;
4. EASO to deploy teams in Italy and Greece for joint processing of asylum applications;
5. Member States to ensure fingerprinting of all migrants;
6. Consider options for an emergency relocation mechanism;
7. A EU wide voluntary pilot project on resettlement, offering a number of places to persons in need of protection;
8. Establish a new return programme for rapid return of irregular migrants coordinated by Frontex from frontline Member States;
9. Engagement with countries surrounding Libya through a joined effort between the Commission and the EEAS; initiatives in Niger have to be stepped up.
10. Deploy Immigration Liaison Officers (ILO) in key third countries, to gather intelligence on migratory flows and strengthen the role of the EU Delegations.