Italy has asked the EU for help due to the increase in the number of migrants. 8,500 people came to the island of Lampedusa over the course of three days at the beginning of the week.
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen presented his ten-point plan on Sunday to provide Italy with immediate support to deal with the large numbers of migrants arriving on the island of Lampedusa.
The plan includes, among other things, increasing the assistance of EU agencies and providing assistance for transferring asylum seekers from Italy to other EU countries that participate in the EU’s voluntary solidarity mechanism.
Von der Leyen visited the Italian Prime Minister by Giorgia Meloni with on the island of Lampedusa on Sunday.
– Illegal immigration is a European challenge that needs a European response, von der Leyen said during his visit.
According to Prime Minister Meloni, the EU must work together to meet the challenges posed by migration.
– At stake is the future Europe wants for itself, which depends on Europe’s ability to face big challenges, Meloni said.
Italy has asked the EU for help due to the increase in the number of migrants. 8,500 people came to the island of Lampedusa in three days from the beginning of the week by boat, which is more than the number of inhabitants of the island. On Friday, the authorities moved thousands of migrants from Lampedusa to Sicily.
The shortest distance from Tunisia to Italy to the island of Lampedusa is about 130 kilometers. The migrant route across the central Mediterranean is one of the most dangerous in the world.
Salvini called the immigration “acts of war”
On Saturday, the interior ministers of Italy, France, Germany and Spain discussed by phone the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson’s with.
Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini has called the immigration “acts of war”.
– The migrant pressure that Italy has experienced this year is unbearable, Meloni said on Friday when he asked von der Leyen to visit Lampedusa.
Meloni also asked for the president of the European Council Charles Michel to put the issue on the agenda at the council’s October meeting.
Prime Minister of France Elisabeth Borne said on Saturday that it is time to show solidarity with Italy and “mobilize” the EU.
This year, more than 127,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea, which is almost double the number compared to the same period last year.
According to the International Organization for Migration under the UN, more than 2,000 people have died this year trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Malta or Italy.