Following the recent influx of emigration from the northern Africa to the European Union and the tragedy of the 150 migrants missing in the Mediterranean after their boat capsized near the Italian island of Lampedusa, the European Parliament, in Strasbourg plenary session, has discussed the state of the refugee policy, how to deal with the increasing migration movement, urged more solidarity between member states and called for help for Italy in coping with the inflow.

MEP Marie-Christine Vergiat intervened in the plenary, expressing, in the name of the group, the condolences for the loss of life and reiterated its urgent call for the adoption of an emergency mechanism that would allow the safe resettlement of people in need of protection.

According to the United Left member, the Provera report on migration flows voted in the session “is not acceptable because it is based on a logic of a "Fortress Europe" - which sees all immigration as a danger- who refuses to see that the migration happened due to the conflict areas, the political repression or the climate change - who refuses to learn from the Arab revolutions and who is always seeking for conditioning the partnership agreements to agreements of readmission as practiced in France”. 

Home Affairs Commissioner Malmström was formally requested to activate the Directive 55 to help thousands of refugees in on the Italian island of Lampedusa .

"The Commissioner has expressed support for the idea but a rapid follow up is now urgent" , GUE/NGL MEP Rui Tavares said. Article 5 of Directive 55/2001 enables the granting of temporary international protection orders in cases of large influxes of people into the EU. This would ensure immediate protection for vulnerable people while files are being processed at the Lampedusa detention centre. "The argument that there is a lack of resources is utter nonsense. In 2009 several EU countries made 343 million euro in arms sales to Gaddafi while the initial EU aid over recent weeks to help the refugees was only 3 million - less than one hundredth of the profits from weapons sales. This difference says it all. Meanwhile, refugees in Lampedusa are being received in inhumane conditions."