WRITTEN QUESTION P-2079/01

by Sebastiano Musumeci (UEN) to the Commission

(3 July 2001)

Subject: Shipwreck in the Straits of Messina: recovery of bodies

In 1996, during the Christmas period, a vessel bound for Europe carrying 283 clandestine migrants of Indian, Pakistani and Tamil origin was wrecked at sea off Sicily. None of the migrants on board escaped the catastrophe. Recently, the wreck and the bodies of numerous victims have been identified by members of the Portopalo fishing community.

Can the Commission undertake a humanitarian intervention in this matter in order to recover the victims' bodies, given that no national or regional institution in the Mediterranean region has proved willing to do so?

What actions is the Commission promoting with a view to identifying the criminal elements which exploit this and other tragic voyages to a better life undertaken by clandestine migrants hoping to reach the coasts of southern Italy, recalling that those coasts are increasingly exposed to the arrival of clandestine third-country migrants thanks to the failure of the Italian authorities to take the necessary preventive and punitive action?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(17 September 2001)

The Commission remember the humane tragedy, which took place in December 1996, when 283 clandestine migrants became victims of a wreckage at sea off Sicily. It is unfortunately not in a position to commit itself to support the recovery of the victim's bodies of this incident.

Over the last five years many vessels of all sizes with clandestine migrants stranded along the shores of Mediterranean Member States. Often at the risk of one's life clandestine migrants have been smuggled by criminal networks, which habitually even sacrifice human beings in order to avoid apprehension. But also other dangers of unsafe passages entail often victims among clandestine migrants.

It is therefore crucial to develop policies at the Union level to deal with the prevention of and the fight against illegal immigration and in particular also against criminal networks, which are involved. The Council adopted in June 2001 a Directive defining the facilitation of unauthorised entry, movement and stay and a accompanying Framework Decision on the strengthening of the penal framework to prevent the facilitation of unauthorised entry and residence, which sets a frame for the prosecution of facilitators. Moreover the Council also adopted a Directive supplementing the provisions of Art. 26 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement in order to further define the obligations of carriers. In December 2000, the Commission adopted a Communication on combating trafficking in human beings and combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, which includes a proposal for a Council framework decision on combating trafficking in human beings.

The Commission considers it important to initiate measures on illegal immigration as foreseen in Art. 63 3. b) (ex Article 73 K) of the EC Treaty as soon as possible. It intends, therefore, to initiate an in-depth discussions in the framework of a future Communication on the common endeavour preventing and fighting against illegal immigration, which will be tabled in the course of the next weeks.