According to a new report published by Amnesty International, more than 2,000 immigrants lost their lives in the Mediterranean in 2017 while trying to travel to Europe. The responsibility for this situation was emphasized as ‘the failure of the European Union’.

Interior ministers of the European Union countries will meet on Thursday in Estonia's capital Talinn to discuss the immigrant crisis, assessing the European Commission's $ 92 million action plan.

The European Commission recommends that more than half of this budget be given to the Libyan Coast Guard for the purpose of strengthening its capacities so that immigrant smugglers can be stopped before sailing to open sea.

It is proposed that the rest of the Budget be given to Italy for expenditure on food and accommodation needs and legal proceedings of immigrants arriving in Italy.

John Dalhuisen, the European Director of Amnesty International, criticized the EU's plan and said: “Rather than acting to save lives and offer protection, European Ministers meeting today are shamelessly prioritizing reckless deals with Libya in a desperate bid to prevent refugees and migrants from reaching Italy.”

Report by Amnesty International said that the measures taken by the EU to strengthen its search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean in 2015 have greatly reduced mortality rates.

However, the report says that the EU is shortly afterwards abandoning it, focusing on stopping human trafficking and preventing boats from leaving Libya.

Amnesty International says the Coast Guard teams in Libya have been cooperating with smugglers and that there are serious allegations of harassment of immigrants, claiming that the interventions of these teams have put immigrants and refugees at risk. (ILKHA)