Thousands of lives continue to be lost on our continent, the vast majority away from the cameras. Each one is an individual tragedy and an unbearable loss. These people’s only will is to flee war and persecution, yet because of our failures and our fears, they continue to die on our continent.

How has it come to this? It’s clear the EU and its member states have been far too slow to react. But we shouldn’t be under any misapprehension; the lack of a response is not because of the “EU institutions”, who to their credit have pushed for a far more comprehensive approach, for example to distribute refugees across the EU in a fair manner. The reluctance to do what is necessary has come from many EU governments themselves, who are unwilling to even consider a genuine European approach, for risk of appearing weak domestically. Domestic party politics dominates and this has blunted our ability to deliver on our collective international obligation to protect those in need.

Despite increasing pressure, David Cameron will not agree to take part in an EU response, because Ukip would disapprove. The Hungarian leader, Viktor Orban, will not agree to an EU response because he is battling to fend off an even more rightwing Eurosceptic party, Jobbik, domestically. Putting party politics ahead of collective interests has led to paralysis. The only hope is that public outcry will change these leaders’ political calculations.

After the shocking images from Turkey this week, the nationalist approach pursued by many European leaders up until now looks increasingly inappropriate. Public and media opinion is shifting, but it’s still not clear to me that our leaders have fully grasped that, if we are to manage this crisis, we need a genuine European approach.

First, we must do more to tackle the root causes. Let’s be clear: it’s not EU free movement or the Schengen agreement that have caused this crisis. Theresa May and others are wrong to conflate the refugee crisis with the right to free movement enjoyed by European citizens in the Schengen zone. War, persecution and the brutality of Assad and Islamic State are causing this crisis. We must do much more collectively to find a long-term solution in this region.

Second, EU leaders must face up to the reality that there is no functioning European asylum system. The current laws are woefully ill-equipped to deal with this influx of people. We need reform now. The dysfunctional Dublin regulation should be replaced with a genuine EU asylum system. We also need a permanent system to re-allocate asylum seekers more fairly between member states.

There are signs that a binding quota system for at least 160,000 refugees will be proposed next week. Personally, I don’t think this should be limited to a fixed number plucked out of the air. It should be a permanent system to deal with however many people need our protection.

Third, we need to establish a permanent and re-enforced Frontex agency that can manage the EU’s borders effectively and save lives at sea; it must no longer be voluntary.

Fourth, we must increase our humanitarian aid to Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and elsewhere to help run refugee camps and take away the need for refugees to pay people smugglers to undertake the dangerous journey to Europe, by creating safe havens in and around conflict areas in combination with safe and legal routes into the EU. Refugees should have the possibility to apply for humanitarian visas in these facilities. It will still be difficult to secure a political agreement on any of these measures.

Unless the politics of hope and compassion can overcome the politics of fear, Europe is sleepwalking into a storm

David Cameron may be forced into taking a few extra thousand Syrian asylum seekers but I fear he will not sign up to a fair EU system: this would require him to stand up to Nigel Farage. I fear that unless the politics of hope and compassion can overcome the politics of fear, Europe is sleepwalking into a storm. The very construct of our union is at risk.

In the absence of strong leadership, now is the time to reflect on our own turbulent past and heed those lessons. Not that many years ago, millions of European citizens were forced to flee war and political persecution. Spanish, Hungarians, Czechs left their homes in order to save their lives. They were received by open arms in many other European countries.

We know what needs to be done. In the interests of humanity and the union we have created together, we must come together to protect those who need us most. Instead of opting out yet again, Britain could play a leading role in designing a European response.