Sea-Watch captain hopes for better EU rules on rescued migrants, but analysts doubt

Sea-Watch rescue ship’s captain, Carola Rackete, has expressed the hope that the new EU commission would work to let boat-rescued migrants enter Europe.

Rackete, who is under investigation in Italy for docking her boat in the Italian port of Lampedusa without permission in early July, said: “I sincerely hope that the European Commission now, after the new election of the parliament, will do its very best to prevent situations like that happening [again],” she said.

However, analysts are of the opinion that the European Commission, under its new president, Ursula von der Leyen, may actually be less willing to allow boat-rescued migrants enter Europe.

This is because a European solution depends on all countries in the bloc agreeing to take in the rescued migrants, who mostly land first in Italy, Malta, Greece and Spain. Many member countries, such as Poland and Hungary, which backed the election of von der Leyen, reject this burden-sharing arrangement. Analysts say these countries can expect more sympathy from the new Commission’s president.

Felix Dappah

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