On the eve of International Migrants’ Day (18 December), PACE’s Migration Committee, in a statement, called for the respect of migrants’ fundamental rights.
"Despite a very significant drop in the numbers of migrants arriving in Europe since the peaks registered in 2015 and 2016, immense challenges remain for all European states. With the closure of the Balkans land routes, over 100 000 migrants attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2018 to reach the European Union. The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project recorded more than 2 000 deaths of boat migrants in the Mediterranean in 2018, which constitutes two-thirds of all migrant fatalities globally. Europe cannot look away while the Mediterranean Sea continues to be a mass grave."