Commission{LIBE}Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs</Commission
MISSION REPORT
of the EP LIBE delegation to Lampedusa (Italy) on search and rescue, in the context of the strategic own-initiative report on “the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration”
17-18 September 2015
The LIBE Delegation on search and rescue to Lampedusa, Italy, on 17-18 September 2015 was composed of:
MEMBERS
Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT EPP Head of delegation
Kashetu KYENGES&D
Judith SARGENTINI Greens / ALE
Ignazio CORRAOEFDD
The delegation was authorised by the Conference of Presidents on 4 June 2015.
1.Introduction
A delegation of four Members of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs travelled to Italy from 17 to 18 September 2015 in order to gain a better understanding of search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
The delegation visited the Carlo Bergamini frigate, flagship of the Italian navy operation Mare Sicuro, currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Phoenix vessel of the MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station). Additionally, the delegation met with the mayor of Lampedusa, the international organisations and NGOs present in Lampedusa, the Guardia di Finanza (customs police) and Coast guard. The delegation witnessed the disembarkation of 250 migrants who had been rescued at sea and their initial reception upon arrival at the pier in the harbour of Lampedusa.
2. Meeting with the mayor of Lampedusa, Ms Giusi Nicolini
In the evening of the 17th of September, the delegation had an informal meeting with the Mayor of Lampedusa, Ms Giusi Nicolini. The mayor welcomed the members of the LIBE delegation and described the current situation in Lampedusa. The island, which due to its position is often the first safe port of disembarkation for migrants rescued at sea, hosts a Centro di primo soccorso e accoglienza (CPSA), first reception and assistance center.
The mayor described the way in which disembarkation operations are normally carried out, highlighting that they have developed a good procedure and coordination: migrants are disembarked on a dedicated pier of the harbor of Lampedusa, where they are immediately assisted by a team of doctors from the local health centers and the INMP (Istituto Nazionale per la promozione della salute delle popolazioni Migranti ed il contrasto delle malattie della Povertà – National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty). Afterwards, migrants are transferred to the CPSA, while those who are found to be too sick are transferred to the hospital or, in particularly serious cases, brought by helicopter to bigger hospitals in Sicily. Moreover, migrants generally receive a first medical check on board of the ship that rescued them.
Arrivals are regular and in very high numbers: in 2014, 15.000 migrants arrived in Lampedusa, while by September 2015 already 18.000 people had arrived. The accommodation Center has a limited reception capacity of up to around 400 persons. In order to avoid excessive overcrowding, every day about 200 to 250 migrants are brought by boat to the Sicilian harbor of Porto Empedocle, close to Agrigento. The mayor explained that, during the Italian Navy operation Mare Nostrum, around 5 navy vessels constantly patrolled the waters around Lampedusa. After the end of the operation, the situation remained under control.
The mayor explained that, upon arrival, migrants are immediately identified by taking their pictures and names, and they are interviewed in order to understand their origin. However, as regards fingerprinting, she reported that often migrants are reluctant to cooperate and some even harm themselves, for instance by burning their own fingertips or scratching them on the concrete, in order to prevent effective fingerprinting. She further explained that Lampedusa would soon become the seat of one of the new EU hotspots. It emerged that the division of tasks between national authorities and the hotspots needs to be further clarified.
As regards the reception of unaccompanied children, the mayor explained that they are initially accommodated in the CPSA, until the Tribunal for Minors allocates the guardianship over them to care centers for children. This process however can take several days, also due to the fact that many care centers are overcrowded; yet, the law does not foresee the possibility for foster families to accommodate such children for short periods of time, immediately upon arrival. The mayor also confirmed that, on the morning of the 18th, a disembarkation operation would take place, given that the Phoenix vessel had rescued over 250 migrants and had been instructed by the International Coordination Center (ICC) to disembark them in Lampedusa. She told the delegation that she usually personally oversees the disembarkation operation.
3. Meeting with UNHCR, IOM, Save the children and local NGOs
On the morning of the 18th, Members of the delegation went to the dedicated pier where migrants are disembarked. At that occasion, meetings were held with the law enforcement authorities present, guardia di finanza(custom police), as well as the coast guards, and with several organisations and a representative of the Italian Ministry of the Interior.
Staff from UNHCR explained that their role during disembarkation operations and in the CPSA is to inform migrants of their right to seek international protection and to monitor the fundamental rights situation. Their staff in Lampedusa consists of legal officers and cultural mediators, but UNHCR is present in several ports in Southern Italy with different staff compositions. They explained that migrants who arrive in Lampedusa are immediately identified and registered, and then transferred to Sicily. Their transfer on shore is done by the coastguard, using motor boats. Once they arrive, UNHCR provides them with basic information about their right to seek asylum; however, applications are not made in Lampedusa, but only once they have been transferred to Sicily.
Staff from Save the Children confirmed their presence in Lampedusa since 2008. They assist migrant children (be they accompanied or unaccompanied) by giving them legal information on their rights and assessing and meeting their primary needs. They also act to ensure that the minors’ right to express their views is respected and that such views are duly taken into account. According to Save the childrenrepresentatives, most minors express the wish to seek international protection in a different State than Italy, and tend not to believe that they could do this legally: they are therefore willing to take the risk of travelling alone to their State of destination, instead of waiting for a lawful transfer. Children want to move quickly onwards,usually to Northern Europe, while decisions on these matters can take from 3 up to 8 months or even longer. An additional problem is that of guardianship: since guardians have to be appointed by the Tribunal, which is often overburdened, decisions are rarely swiftly delivered. Moreover, minors who qualify as unaccompanied are often travelling with an adult, to whom they were entrusted by their parents: such adult has no legal right of guardianship over the child, and even if the child could be legally transferred to another Member State, the adult could not follow him/her. Children therefore might prefer to remain with the adult who accompanied them, even if it means that they cannot wait for a lawful transfer.
Staff from IOM explained that IOM is present in Lampedusa since 2006 and works mainly on a project to identify and assist trafficked women. IOM is working on a project aiming at women’s empowerment and at providing proper information on their rights to women who are potential trafficking victims, in particular about the possibility of obtaining a special, temporary residence permit for protection under article 18 of the Italian Immigration Law. The permit allows them to stay legally in Italy and receive social assistance. Trafficking victims are often Nigerian women, who travel in small groups of 3 or 4, under the control of another migrant who is tasked with bringing them to their exploiter. The role of IOM is to try to obtain the women’s trust, explaining them that they can request and obtain protection. Since trafficked women are often afraid of authorities, building trust is a process that takes time, also due to the fact that Nigerian women often believe to have been subjected to black magic and that, if they tell their stories, their families will be targeted. Trust is essential to obtain information about the criminal traffickers in order to break down their network. The main practical problem that IOM faces in its task is that shelters for trafficking victims are often full, and women might need to wait several weeks before they can be admitted into a safe shelter. No provisional shelters to accommodate them immediately are provided, while they are in dire need of being immediately separated from the group, to protect them from the trafficker’s influence and pressure.
EASO personnel was also supervising the disembarkation. They told the delegation that four of them were deployed in Lampedusa as observers in order to prepare for the establishment of the EU hotspot. The delegation also met with the local NGO, Forum Lampedusa Solidale, a citizens’ group, who act to make the migrants feel treated humanely and distribute coffee, tea, water and cookies to migrants upon arrival.
4. The disembarkation operation on the pier
The delegation witnessed a disembarkation operation of over 250 migrants who had been brought towards Lampedusa by the Phoenix vessel of MOAS and who were transferred to the coast-guard motorboats to be brought on shore. The majority of migrants on the first two boats seemed to be young men from sub Saharan Africa. The coast guards told the delegation that there are 4 of those boats specialised in disembarkation co-funded by the European Union (External Borders Fund). Each motor boat had on board a medical personnel from the Malta Order and a scuba diver, ready to dive in case a person would fall into the sea during the transfer from one boat to the other; migrants had been given a life-vest, paper overalls, head protection and socks. Rescued persons were helped to disembark one after another, and were immediately screened by medical personnel, especially to check on scabies and the temperature. Children and women were clearly given priority. Several of the migrants were too ill to walk and some were brought to an ambulance or accommodated in wheelchairs. Local volunteers offered migrants tea and crackers. Present were also personnel from the Coast Guard, the Italian police, the Ministry of Home Affairs, EASOand Frontex. A bus was ready to bring migrants to the CPSA, and the first group left the port in less than one hour. Ms Regina Catrambone, co-founder of MOAS, was also present and explained that the Phoenix had rescued a first group of migrants a couple of days before from a rubber boat which was sinking: this first group of migrants was in better health conditions, although many had wounded feet due to the fact that the rubber boat had been reinforced using wooden axes. While the Phoenix was going towards Lampedusa, it had been requested to approach one of the vessels of the Italian Navy and take onboard another group of migrants, who had been rescued by the navy and needed to be transferred on shore. While the second group of migrants had already received a first aid medical assistance by the Navy’s doctor, they were in much worse health conditions due to an accident involving fuel being mixed with sea water and therefore causing severe burn injuries to many (mainly female) migrants.
Tragically, the severe burnings caused the death of a twenty year old woman. The Italian authorities were trying to identify the sister who was onboard in order to provide her with psychological support.
The doctor onboard reported also on a young man who was lying in the boat deck due to severe wounds caused by beating. A baby of 11 months old accompanied by his mother was brought to intensive care due to dehydration.
5. Visit on-board the Carlo Bergamini Frigate of the Italian Navy
At 11 am, the delegation was brought by an Italian navy helicopter from Lampedusa airport to the Carlo Bergamini ship. On board, the delegation was received by Rear Admiral Paolo Pezzutti, the Commander of Operation Mare Sicuro, and by the Commander of the Unit, Captain Alberto Tarabotto. The Captain explained that the Bergamini ship is part of a new multi-mission type of ships, which can be used both in military operations, being fully armed, and in civilian or humanitarian operations. Members visited the vessel’s bridge and the Combat Operations Center, where they were briefed by Rear Admiral Pezzutti on Operation Mare Sicuro, which is a mission of the Italian navy aiming to ensure maritime safety and fully committed to performing search and rescue.
On 15 February 2015, human smugglers threatened with weapons a rescue ship which was saving a boat full of migrants: as a consequence, Italy first deployed a naval task force and, in April 2015, launched operation Mare Sicuro. The purposes of the mission are: increasing maritime security in the central Mediterranean by deterring and countering illegal activities; denying use of the sea to criminal organizations; granting a safe shipping environment; protecting search and rescue operations; collecting information on terrorist and criminal organizations; and monitoring and protecting off-shore oil platforms. Since its launch, the Operation has performed 514 SAR actions, rescuing 87.965 persons and arresting 380 human smugglers.
The patrolling area of the Operation is 80.000 square nautical miles: jointly with operation Triton, it covers the whole area between Sicily and Libya, ending only at the border of the Libyan territorial waters (i.e. 12 nautical miles from the coast). Ships deployed in the context of Mare Sicuro are not allowed to enter such territorial waters, since this would require either consent of the Libyan authorities or a UN resolution authorising such entry. The exchanges made it clear that, if vessels could get closer to the Libyan coast, this could allow obtaining access to fresh evidence of the crimes of human smuggling which are committed there. Also, patrolling ships would be in a better position to stop the flow of boats used for smuggling activities, which currently tend to come from Tunisia and sail very close to the coast in order not to be intercepted.
The radar and sonar system and the drones on-board the vessel allow to have an overview of the whole central Mediterranean Sea 24/24 h. In addition, ships by other European States deployed temporarily in the area, while having different mandates and nationalities, cooperate well and share the information they have, which allows an even more precise picture of the situation at sea. The system enables the interception of a high number of boats in distress. All rescue operations are coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Rome, which receives information about boats in distress and assigns the nearest ship to the rescue operation. Rescue operations take place daily and can also require the use of helicopters in order to evacuate wounded migrants.
The Rear Admiral clarified that during operation Mare Nostrum many search and rescue operations took place, saving a very high number of lives. Currently, the combination of Mare Sicuro, EUNAVFORMED and Triton operating in a wider area, together with the other non-governmental vessels, including one MOAS ship, two MSF ships, the German Sea Watch and Dignity, as well as the excellent cooperation and coordination between them,has considerably contributed to the increase of successful SAR operations. In this context the Italian Navy has welcomed that the EURONAVFOR MED would soon pass to phase 2, which includes more operational activities.[1] In particular, operation Mare Sicuro deploys 4 ships, 4 helicopters, and several patrolling drones; Eunavfor MED is present with 5 ships (2 Italian vessels, 2 German ones, and one from the UK). Frontex deploys, at the moment and on a temporary basis, French, UK, Norwegian and Croat vessels in addition to numerous Italian vessels. The Rear Admiral recalled that saving lives at sea is both a legal obligation and a moral duty for all sailors. He highlighted that the Italian navy is fully dedicated to conduct SAR operations with competence, humanity and passion. A typical rescue operation begins with a SOS call from a boat in distress. The vessel which is called to the rescue operation proceeds to contact the boat in distress and evaluates how to approach it and how to distribute life vests: this can be a very dangerous operation since the persons on the boat will tend to move on the side from which life vests are distributed, increasing the risk that the small boat will capsize. Such operations are therefore carried out by using two motor boats, which distribute life vests at both sides of the boat in distress and keep it in balance. Migrants are subsequently transferred from the sinking boat to the motor boats, and from there to the bigger Navy vessel, where they receive a medical screening and further medical assistance if needed, are identified and receive food and water. The vessel then proceeds to bringing them to the nearest place of safety.