Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast.

Today we'll be talking about search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

We'll examine obligations under international and EU law.

We'll compare them to what has actually been happening at sea

and we'll look at what could be improved in order to save more lives.

Stay with us. Asylum seekers and migrants

all around the world have long risked their lives aboard dangerous ships in search of international

protection against persecution, conflict and other threats to their life, or just seeking a better

life. And many of these stories end up in drama.

Since 2016, EU action at sea has helped to save over half a million people in the Mediterranean.

But over the last couple of years, the Mediterranean Sea has also set the scene for the largest

number of casualties and missing people in the world.

In 2019 alone, almost 2,000 people died

trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea and many thousands more were never found. So why is this

happening? Let's have a look at what international law says about search and rescue operations at sea.

Under international law, ships have a clear duty to help those in distress at sea.

This help must be provided regardless of the people's nationality or status or the circumstances

in which they find themselves.

However, when the ships are run by non-governmental organisations and the people in distress are

migrants, there are often different

opinions about what is the right thing to do.

Rescue and disembarkation to a place of safety are complex operations, involving different

...