On 18 June 2019, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published her Recommendation “Lives saved. Rights protected. Bridging the protection gap for refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean”. Pointing to the tragic consequences of the current European approach to preventing arrivals by sea, the Commissioner put forward 35 recommendations to help Council of Europe member states ensure that the preservation of life at sea and the protection of rights is effective. The recommendations cover five main areas: ensuring effective search and rescue coordination; guaranteeing the safe and timely disembarkation of rescued people; co-operating effectively with NGOs; preventing human rights violations while co-operating with third countries; and providing safe and legal routes to Europe. In particular, the Commissioner called on member states to provide more search and rescue capacity, to ensure no instructions are given that would lead, directly or indirectly, to disembarkation of rescued persons in Libya, to review co-operation with Libya and suspend any activities contributing to human rights violations, and to cease the harassment and criminalisation of NGOs carrying out search and rescue activities.