The Socialists and Democrats will never forget the tragic events of 3 October 2013, when 368 people lost their lives in a shipwreck off Lampedusa.
Ten years on from this human tragedy, we regret that Europe’s collective grief has failed to turn into a collective response preventing further tragedy.
We deeply regret the recurring loss of life that has occurred in the Mediterranean since 2013. We continue to work to ensure that the lessons of failure can finally be learnt and we push for a permanent and effective European response to search and rescue operations. The best way of avoiding loss of life is to ensure safe and legal pathways and humanitarian corridors to the EU.
Now more than ever, it is essential that the EU takes a humane approach to migration and that together we seek and find common ground on solutions that save lives at sea.