Giuliano Pisapia, a former Italian MP and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), has affirmed the importance of appointing an EU Permanent Representative for Libya.
In an interview with Italy’s Ilriformista newspaper, the MEP said it is important for Italy and the EU to “do more to support the Libyan authorities in the creation of a modern state, with solid institutions and an independent judicial system.”
“In the absolute absence of the rule of law, it is unfortunately obvious that militias and traffickers will continue to operate with total impunity, constantly violating human rights,” Pisapia said.
Pisapia was the rapporteur for the European Parliament on the situation in Tripoli and Benghazi.
He criticized the European Union and the Italian government for ignoring the Libyan situation, “which allowed other countries to gain a foothold and build political influence at the expense of the Europeans.”
Pisapia also denounced the continued operation of detention centers in Libya, where migrants are being held in inhumane conditions. “At the European level, the Libyan authorities have been repeatedly asked to put an end to the arbitrary detention of migrants, and to introduce alternatives to detention based on human rights,” he said.
“In the report on Libya, for which I was rapporteur, voted by a very large majority last October, the European Parliament was very clear: the EU must not finance and cooperate with Libyan actors who are responsible for serious violations of the rule of law, and involved in human trafficking,” he added.
The MEP pointed out that migrants leave their country in search of a better future, calling for creating safe and legal migration paths.
“I believe it is right to help, logistically and financially, the countries that take charge of it, in Europe as elsewhere, but there is no doubt that any economic aid must be conditioned by respect for human rights” Pisapia explained.
