PES President Sergei Stanishev said: “A European Coast Guard is a must, not only to ensure our external borders and protect them but to safe human lives. In the last week alone 700 more people are believed to have died in the Mediterranean and according to the UN Refugee Agency about 15,000 migrants have left North Africa.That means that the range of action of the operation should be from the African coast.”
Stanishev said: “We are also glad that the S&D group also has introduced strong safeguards in the accountability of the future agency. The European Parliament will co-opt its managing Director and therefore ensure Human Rights are at the centre of the European Border and Coast Guard”.
