The dramatic incidents that have been happening in our waters during these past weeks clearly show the precarious position the European Union is in due to the hardline, selfish policies of many of its members.
The foreign ministers of Italy and Malta, referring to the complex situation involving ships with migrants on board, said in a joint statement last week that it was no longer acceptable to proceed on a case-by-case basis on migration issues, seeking solutions only in emergencies. They reiterated that, to this end, “we need a structured permanent mechanism at the European Union level which deals with all the sensitive issues concerning migration”.
We are all aware that the problem lies in the fact that there is lack of cooperation and coordination among members of the European Union. It is useless, though, for Italy’s Foreign Minister to insist on greater cooperation when the country’s Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, accuses Sea-Watch 3 captain Carola Rackete that what she did was “a criminal act; an act of war”, demanding that she be imprisoned because she forced her way into Lampedusa port with 40 exhausted and desperate migrants. Such talk exposes what is on top of one’s political agenda.
For saving lives, Rackete was accused of being a criminal. How often do we hear the statement “Laws are laws and they have to be obeyed”? We may ask: Who are the criminals? Those who save lives or those politicians who quote ‘laws’ in order to satisfy their personal, populist agenda, even if by doing so people at sea are left in danger?
In an enlightened article in this paper (June 30), titled ‘Ideological battles in the Med’, Marc Tilley, when referring to such incidents, asserted that “in this increasingly hostile and tightening humanitarian space, it is essential that we separate the political debate from saving lives at sea”.
The political agenda of individual countries and populism are hindering nations from making a coordinated effort to solve the problem of immigration convincingly.
When commenting about the Paris Peace Forum, which this year is to be held between November 11 and 13, the Times of Malta, in its supplement (June 28), stated: “Global problems without cooperative solutions lead to conflicts. The challenges the world faces – climate change, terrorism, migration, cyber insecurity and the like – ignore borders. Addressing them requires collective action.” It stressed: “However, collaboration is increasingly difficult as countries are turning inward.”
This is the crux of the problem. We are building borders, not bridges. The slogans ‘America First’ and ‘Brexit’ have overshadowed our altruistic and European values. Governments are allowing right-wing and populist movements to take the upper hand to the detriment of society as a whole.
Only last Monday, on the sixth anniversary of Pope Francis’s visit to Lampedusa, the pontiff insisted that “the weakest and most vulnerable must be helped”. He exclaimed that “there is a tremendous responsibility from which no one is exempt”. We, as Christians, are asked to make a difference, to go beyond what is legal and reach out to the poor – who are the least to be considered and the most to be left out.
The political agenda of individual countries and populism are hindering nations from making a coordinated effort to solve the problem of immigration convincingly
Unless there is a concerted effort and the will to solve the migration issue, there is no hope that any existent structures would be changed. The problem of migration has been with us for too long. It needs determination from all those concerned, and this can only occur if we are able to look beyond our individual and national interests.
Humanitarian values have no borders, and the European Union, of which we form part, should be able to instil in each Member State a vision that goes beyond one’s sovereignty. Captain Rackete and all those who risk their lives to save human beings should be considered heroes, not criminals. Politicians, like Salvini, who refer to false nationalism and populist trends to back their agenda, are doing so to the detriment of the poor and the marginalised.
While it is heartening to see countries like Malta doing their best to intervene, it is a pity that, very often, such actions are taken at the very last minute. As the German humanitarian group Sea-Eye tweeted last week, “Human lives are not a bargaining chip”.
We need to be on the lookout and take heed of the concerns showed by the organisers of the Paris Peace Forum when they stated that “States are competing hard for advantage, and populism is undermining the institutions and mechanisms for collective action”.
Those of us who are tasked with stopping this propaganda of individualism and false nationalism should speak out in public fora. Let the value of solidarity never be subjected to a fake nationalist agenda.
Humanitarian values should always be at the forefront of our policies. Let laws be changed, if need be, and adapted to present-day situations. But let us not be enslaved to such laws.
To simply state “we are following the law” can in no way absolve us from being guilty of ignoring the weak, the lost and the oppressed. The law of love and compassion is above any other written law.