Following the Italian Navy discovery on Monday of 30 people who tragically died on a small fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea, EU commissioner for home affairs Cecilia Malmström said, "I deplore the recent loss of life and I express my sympathy to the victims and families."
She said that over the last few days Italian authorities have rescued around 5000 people and the death toll "illustrates that smugglers and criminals have no respect for human lives and we must urgently increase our efforts to fight their deadly activities".
In reaction to the deaths, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) called on the Italian EU council presidency to address the plight of refugees as "the number of people embarking on dangerous routes to find safety in Europe on the rise. The situation at Europe's sea borders demands urgent and concerted action."
"Smugglers and criminals have no respect for human lives and we must urgently increase our efforts to fight their deadly activities" - Cecilia Malmström
According to the UNHCR, Italy has seen a fourfold increase in the number of refugees, especially arriving by boat from Syria and Eritrea. A growing number of people have also been arriving on Greek islands.
With the increase in numbers of people arriving by boat, the UNHCR stressed there are significant challenges being brought upon resources including costly search and rescue operations, and "stretching in capacity" of reception and screening centres for refugees. The UNHCR also pointed out that, since the 2013 Lampedusa tragedy where 360 people drowned off the Italian island, more than 66,400 people had been saved.
The UNHCR called on the Italian presidency to "lead discussions on EU-wide responsibility and policies... so that they maintain a focus on access to territory and protection for those who seek asylum".
Malmström also emphasised the need for Italy to tackle the growing refugee problem, saying, "The commission is cooperating very closely with the Italian presidency in this regard, and is preparing an EU plan against the smuggling of migrants."
"The law at European and international level is clear: people who may be in need of protection must be given access to territory and asylum procedures" - UNHCR
According to the Swedish commissioner, EU law enforcement agencies Europol and Frontex will now start focusing on cooperating with authorities in non-European countries where people smugglers pick up migrants. "The aim is to fight criminal networks where they have their operational bases and work jointly to dismantle them," she said.
The commission announced it will immediately give €4m to Italy as emergency assistance and was looking to give more money to help Italian authorities to host the growing number of migrants and refugees on its territory.
The UNHCR also urged the Italian presidency to highlight the plight of Syrian refugees and other vulnerable people who were escaping conflicts, saying, "The law at European and international level is clear: people who may be in need of protection must be given access to territory and asylum procedures." Other measures recommended by the UN organisation include; an increase in flexibility and responsiveness across asylum systems in the EU, the implementation of an EU asylum legislation, the eradication of statelessness by 2024 and actions to combat human trafficking.
Stressing that the refugee crisis was not only a problem for Mediterranean countries, Malmström said, "I also reiterate my call on member states to help provide places to resettle refugees in Europe, directly from refugee camps in third countries", adding that, "this would avoid vulnerable people putting their lives in the hands of merchants of death".