In light of the current crisis situation following the deaths of over 750 people in the Mediterranean, Cathryn Costello spoke yesterday on the Good Morning Scotland programme on BBC Radio Scotland about the EU response to the refugee and migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, and its culpability.
She highlighted that when the EU’s Operation Triton took over from the previous Mare Nostrum, “the gaps in search and rescue capability were clear…so they really created this situation.”
However, the main culpability, she said, lies in the lack of safe access for refugees to seek refuge and protection in the EU: “While you and I could buy a ticket to get on a very safe ferry boat to cross the Mediterranean, and those tickets cost less than £50, we know that Syrian families spend thousands in order to get into unsafe craft. And the reason they can’t make a safe journey is because European governments don’t issue humanitarian visas, and we maintain a carriers’ liability scheme which means that legal carriers – ferry boats, airlines – don’t allow refugees to board those craft.”
Listen to the full interview here >>
