EU lawmakers urge int'l probe into deadly Greek migrant shipwreck

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – EU lawmakers on Thursday urged Greece and the European Commission to launch an international and independent probe into last month's deadly migrant boat shipwreck off the coast of Greece.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs held a debate dedicated to the tragedy believed to have claimed hundreds of lives. The vessel was carrying migrants mainly from Pakistan, Egypt and Syria.

The committee calls upon “the Greek authorities and the (European) Commission to establish, as a matter of urgency, an independent and transparent international investigation into the incident, said German EU lawmaker Birgit Sippel, chair of the session.

The European Parliament demands a probe into the actions of the Greek authorities and the EU’s Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and “their compliance with European and international law, particularly legislation on search and rescue at sea,” she added.

For her part, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson acknowledged that the EU is “not doing enough to prevent tragic events” and reaffirmed the EU executive’s body’s commitment to step up the fight against people traffickers.

She explained the traffic on the migration route from Libya through Central Mediterranean has increased by 600-700% and it was “only a matter of time” before a disaster of a "such scale" happened.

Dutch lawmaker Sophie in’t Veld criticized the EU Commission for only concentrating on people smuggling while not acting on search and rescue operations.

She questioned the credibility of the investigation of Greek authorities as “we see more and more alarming evidence emerging in media about the role of the Hellenic Coast Guard, maybe even responsible for the capsizing of the ship.”