BARCELONA, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A rescue vessel refused by Italy and Malta arrived in Spain's northeastern city of Barcelona on Wednesday carrying 60 migrants, local media reported.
The boat, from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, traveled four days to dock in Barcelona after rescuing 60 people from a rubber boat near Libya over the weekend.
It arrived along with a sister boat, the Astral, also owned by the NGO, that carried four members of the European Parliament who witnessed the rescue.
The migrants come from 14 different countries and include five women, four teenagers, and a nine-year old.
Spanish authorities have granted a 30-day permit to apply for residence or asylum in the European Union (EU).
Open Arms founder, Oscar Camps, said that the 60 people had suffered abuse, exploitation, rape, slavery and torture in Libya.
"How sad I am to know that yesterday 63 people more died. We carry only 60 people, we could have rescued 270 more," he said on his Twitter account.
This is the second rescue ship to dock in a Spanish port since the Aquarius, another rescue vessel carrying over 600 migrants that docked in Valencia after being refused by Italy and Malta.
At the recent EU summit, some EU leaders agreed on creating screening centers inside the EU (voluntarily) and explore the possibility of establishing similar centers outside Europe, among other measures.
Antonio Izquierdo, a Spanish expert on migration, told Xinhua that "a public and open debate" was essential to design immigration policies. That debate should include countries of origin and a reflection on integration and take in.
He stated that the EU was not designing immigration policies but containment policies that would not stop people from emigrating.
