By UME
13,000 migrants have landed on the island this year, 1,000 in a single day in May
“We are demanding a similar defense from Prime Minister Mario Draghi to other European countries,” said Matteo Salvini on Monday after another 2,000 migrants were landed on the island of Lampedusa last weekend. The conservative politician emphasized that an independent national decision was necessary, as Italy could not wait for the solidarity and cooperation of the other member states.
The situation in Lampedusa is coming to a head. Within a few hours, 16 boats arrived on the Italian coast over the weekend. Another thousand migrants landed on Lampedusa on Sunday, and in a short time their number has increased to 2,128. Another 600 and then 350 migrants reached the island during the night.
A total of 20 ships made their way to Europe over the weekend, one of which was shipwrecked in which five people were killed. The migration route in the Mediterranean has become a busy corridor again. Migrants from Africa and Asia, especially from Pakistan and Syria, arrive on the Libyan coast on the border with Tunisia. The Lampedusa reception center, which can accommodate 502 people, currently has at least 2,000 people.
“Lampedusa is full,” said Salvatore Martello, the island’s mayor, desperately on Sunday and called for immediate political intervention.
Since the beginning of the year, 13,000 illegal immigrants have set out to seek a better life in Italy, and the improving spring weather is further fueling this trend. It is also clear that unless the government takes restrictive measures to get the phenomenon under control, the pressure will continue to increase. However, there is no consensus in the Italian government on how to tackle the migration crisis and tensions between coalition partners could paralyze it.
Both the right-wing Lega and the left-wing Democratic Party are demanding a new migration policy from Draghi, who enjoys an exceptional reputation at European level. Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese continues to hope for solidarity between the member states and sees the solution in a voluntary distribution mechanism. Democratic Party Secretary General Enrico Letta called for a maritime mission called Irini, which controls human trafficking and an arms embargo in Libya, to be involved in saving lives in the Mediterranean. He also stressed that the time had come for the redistribution system, which so far only existed on paper, to be put into practice.
“We demand a similar defense from Prime Minister Mario Draghi as from other European countries,” said Matteo Salvini, chairman of the Lega, in front of the press. An independent decision is necessary because Italy cannot wait for solidarity and cooperation from the other member states, said the former interior minister.
“The situation is unsustainable and solving the immigration crisis is a matter of political determination. No country is under as much pressure as Italy, and yet we are on our own, “said Salvini, who had already shown as Interior Minister that drastic measures can be taken to reduce the pressure of migration.
The Fratelli d’Italia party, led by Giorgia Meloni, who remained in the opposition, demanded an immediate blockade from the government in order to stop mass immigration. According to Meloni, it is time to speak openly about the migration crisis in Italy, which Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese is responsible for.
Source: Magyar Nemzet (Author: Jánosi Dalma, Rome)
Draghi calls on the EU for the credible redistribution of migrants
Draghi on migrant redistribution: “The Italian government is committed to promoting appropriate bilateral initiatives; for the implementation of measures by the European Union so that the Libyan authorities counteract the arms and human trafficking while respecting human rights; and for the exertion of intra-European pressure so that there is again a credible and effective redistribution of migrants who have landed in Italy. “
“In my discussions with Libyan Prime Minister Dabaiba, I particularly insisted on the need to ensure the restoration of security conditions on the ground as an integral part of the stabilization process in the country and the entire Mediterranean region,” he added.
Source: askanews
EU: no obligation to relocate migrants who have arrived in Italy
“The European Commission has had contacts with various member states, but at the moment there are no commitments to relocate migrants who have arrived in Italy”. So said a spokesman for the EU executive. According to what has been clarified, the European Commission is taking care of the coordination of the relocation of migrants who came to Italy as part of search and rescue operations, but not those who ended up on the Italian coast by their own means.
In three years only 1273 migrants were relocated
Only 1,273 migrants have been relocated from Italy to other EU Member States since 2018. The negotiations “on the new pact on asylum and migration are progressing, albeit slowly”. But “there is nothing that has been blocked”. This was pointed out by the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, at the end of a video conference between the interior ministers of the EU and Africa organized by the Portuguese Presidency.
Source: ImolaOggi