Italian President Sergio Mattarella has called the European Union’s rules on migrant distribution “prehistoric” as he debates how to manage the increase in boat arrivals from North Africa.
“Migration is a historical phenomenon that should not be tackled with provisional measures, but with a vision of the future,” the Italian head of state emphasized during a joint press conference with his German counterpart Frank Walter Steinmeier.
The government official, quoted by the Ansa agency, called for “courageous solutions” to the migrant issue, and not “cosmetic” solutions.
Mattarella says it is necessary to consider “how rudimentary and outdated tools can be used differently in the face of a completely new phenomenon.” “The Dublin regulations, for example, are prehistoric,” drawn up “in a different world, when the phenomenon of mass migration had not yet begun,” he added.
According to the so-called Dublin procedure, irregular migrants must be registered in the European Union country where they first enter. If they go to another country in the bloc, they could be sent back to their first port of call in the EU.
Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government in Rome temporarily suspended Dublin’s rules in December last year, citing “purely technical reasons” related to the overtime of reception centers or hotspots.
In response, Germany revealed last week that it had stopped receiving migrants from Italy under a voluntary scheme aimed at easing pressure on EU border countries.
Mattarella said no country can solve the problem alone and called for “new solutions”.
The far-right League party of Meloni’s deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini welcomed Mattarella’s “clear and unequivocal” comments.
Mediterranean countries such as Italy have argued that the rules impose an disproportionate burden on border countries, especially as newcomers often want to move further and live in other EU countries.
Brussels has pledged to provide more aid to Rome after a sharp increase in arrivals on the Italian island of Lampedusa last week, with more than 8,500 people arriving in three days.
Source: DN
