Statement on a temporary relocation mechanism

The signing organisations, directly involved in and affected by the content of the EU Summit on 23 September in
Malta, jointly share the following considerations and recommendations to the European Union. The question of a
fair and human needs-based relocation mechanism remains unresolved. In recent months there have been repeated
stand-offs of up to 19 days until the EU Member States (MS) have agreed on an ad-hoc distribution scheme of people
rescued from distress at sea. This practice contradicts international maritime and human rights law, in particular
with regards to the obligation set by search and rescue regulations to bring shipwrecked people to a “place of safety”
(PoS) without any delay. You find the statement here.