BRUSSELS – ANSWER. Ahead of an emergency meeting of the Home Affairs Council tomorrow, where ministers will discuss the situation along all migration routes, with a focus on the Mediterranean region, said the Vice President of the Commission. Margaritis SchinasCommissioner of the Interior Ylva Johansson and Mikulas Beck, Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic, on behalf of the President of the Council, took part in the plenary meeting of the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg to highlight the need for significant steps to reform the immigration pact, gaining the support of a majority of MPs.

Minister of Immigration and Asylum Notis Mitarakis yesterday sent a letter to the two commissioners asking them to agree on a resettlement initiative after the completion of an operation to rescue 400 migrants and asylum seekers off the coast of Crete. Mr. Mitarakis stressed that the first host countries should not take on a burden that is disproportionate to their ability, and called for a fair distribution among Member States.

In his speech to the European Commission, Mr. Shinas called for durable solutions in the form of a pan-European pact on asylum and migration that would promote solidarity and cooperation. Ms. Johansson noted that the situation on migration routes is often aggravated by the immigration of third-country nationals who do not need international protection, explaining that the EU. works to combat smugglers with these states. Recall that the Commission on Monday unveiled an action plan to address problems in the central Mediterranean, which concerned the strengthening of cooperation with third countries, the improvement of search and rescue operations and the more effective implementation of the mechanism of voluntary solidarity.

Mr. Beck emphasized that saving lives at sea is an obligation under international law and a moral imperative, saying that the Council continues to work on a new pact with the goal of having the reform approved before the end of the legislative cycle.