The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented this Sunday, on the Italian island of Lampedusa, an action plan to combat irregular immigration and stated that “Italy can count on the European Union.”
“We will decide who comes to Europe and not the traffickers,” said von der Leyen in Lampedusa, the epicenter of the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, in a press conference in which he considered that “illegal immigration is a European challenge that requires a European response”.
The 10-point action plan includes a possible new European Union (EU) naval mission in the Mediterranean, faster repatriations of people whose asylum applications are rejected and humanitarian corridors for legal arrivals.
Following the arrival of more than 10,000 migrants to Lampedusa (more than the population of the Italian island closest to Africa) in just three days last week, the head of the Italian Government, Giorgia Meloni, wrote a letter to the president of the European Commission Union asking him to visit the island “to personally understand the seriousness of the situation.”
This Sunday, together with von der Leyen, Meloni stated that he did not consider von der Leyen’s presence in Lampedusa an “act of solidarity”, but rather one of “responsibility”.
“It is a border of Italy, but also of Europe. If anyone in Europe thinks that a global crisis can be resolved by leaving the Italians alone, they are wrong,” he said.
For the head of the right-wing and far-right coalition government, if all countries do not work together “the numbers of this phenomenon will not only overwhelm the bordering countries but all the others” and he defended an “efficient” naval blockade, considering that The previous EU missions have not been carried out properly.
Giorgia Meloni took office almost a year ago and since then has advocated abandoning disputes over the distribution of immigrants between European countries and focusing efforts on stopping departures through agreements with African countries.
Therefore, one of the most anticipated commitments from the Italian Government was the last of those pronounced by von der Leyen, who asked to accelerate the implementation of the migration agreement that Brussels signed with Tunisia last July and that includes financial aid of more than 1,000 million euros in exchange for measures to contain immigration.
Still, von der Leyen also called on EU countries to accept voluntary transfers, a frequent source of contention.
The EU will immediately send experts to help manage and register the high number of migrants arriving in Italy.
Also on human trafficking, von der Leyen stated that “traffickers are unscrupulous people, they deceive people and put them at risk just to make money” and that strong measures must be taken against this “brutal business.”
The European leader’s visit to Lampedusa coincided with the arrival of more than 1,000 immigrants to the island in recent hours.
The Italian Red Cross, which manages the reception center in Lampedusa, stated that there are still 1,500 migrants there, for a capacity of 400 people, as transfers to Sicily and the mainland do not fully compensate for the new arrivals.
Television footage showed Meloni speaking to island residents. The head of government told them that there will be 50 million euros to help the island, and one person said that they don’t just need money.
Immigrants have expressed frustration over the long wait to be transferred to the mainland. Television images on Saturday showed hundreds of people advancing towards a gate as police used shields to hold them back.
The migration crisis challenges unity within the EU and also the far-right government led by Meloni.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the Italian League party (far right), criticized the effectiveness of the agreement between the EU and Tunisia and today receives the leader of the French right, Marine Le Pen, for the League’s annual rally in Pontida ( North of Italy).
Since the beginning of the year, it is estimated that more than 127,000 migrants have landed in Italy, almost double the number in the same period in 2022.
Source: TSF
