Are NGO ships now above the law?

The MEPs of Fidesz delegation sent a letter to Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs. They wish to know her stance on NGO ships facilitating illegal migration and their actions which willfully break the law. 

The Fidesz delegation to the European Parliament sent a letter to Ylva Johansson, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs. The letter asks her to take a stand on NGO ships that intentionally violate the laws of Member States. The reason for the letter was a meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on the 15th of March. The meeting concerned search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean. During the meeting Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe made some shocking statements.

“During the meeting, Commissioner Mijatović literally said that the captains of these ships may even refuse to comply with the instructions from Member States, and proceed to their ports”, said Fidesz MEP Balázs Hidvéghi. In other words, according to the Commissioner, NGO vessels can land illegal migrants collected in the Mediterranean on the basis of human rights concerns even against the will of the respective Member State and in violation of their laws.

“There is nothing new in some people wanting to flood Europe with illegal migrants. But the fact that the Human Rights Commissioner of Council of Europe outwardly calls for breaking the law, is just beyond the boundaries of common sense. We call for the European Commission to take a clear stance on this outrageous remark and on illegal migration in general”, MEP Hidvéghi added.