The illegal human trafficking crisis in the Mediterranean is an international responsibility that should be shared. It calls for complex mix of efforts. 

The immigrant situation is an exceptional situation that needs exceptional and coordinated action. It is crucial to address the root causes of the crisis, namely poverty, wards and human rights abuses. 

According to statistics gathered by Defend Europa this year almost 13,000 irregular immigrants had made it to Europe through the Mediterranean route by last March. 

In spite of the many promises made by European politicians, the authorities have failed to adequately stem the wave of irregular immigrants to Europe. 

The European Union must address the main causes of this crisis by working closely with the countries in the region and the international community. The issue needs to be taken by the horns in the most comprehensive way, with the main causes being addressed in the countries where the immigrants start their journey as well as the countries where they stop over on their way (such as Malta and Italy on their way to central Europe). 

Until the situation in Libya is stable and there is a unified Government that controls all the zones in the country (including its maritime frontiers), there will be human trafficking.  The European Union was backing this process but it is not progressing as expected. 

The increasing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean should have long attracted the international community’s attention and driven it to identify the causes and take concrete action. According to Téte António, a Permanent Observer of the African Union, factors such as climate change, the lack of progress in free movement from one African country to another and the digital divide has led to the creation of criminal gangs that pose a threat to security and stability in Africa and within the international community. 

The solutions should be found in the principles of humanity, solidarity, burden sharing, international human rights and humanitarian law.  This is where the role of coordinated membership among the interested parties such as the African Union, the European Union and the countries concerned should be strengthened. 

In the meantime the nations should join and work together to monitor the Mediterranean sea the vastness of which the criminals exploit to avoid being caught. Established unions should help Mediterranean countries to overcome the challenges that threaten maritime liberty and security. 

When will the European Union learn to take this issue seriously?