The head of the European Union (EU), Ursula von der Leyen, will visit the Italian island of Lampedusa with the country’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, this weekend after the massive arrival of migrants, a European official reported today.
Meloni called on Brussels to help ease the pressure after some 8,500 people disembarked in three days this week in Lampedusa, just 145 kilometers off the coast of Tunisia.
Thousands of migrants were transferred from the small island to Sicily on Friday.
An Italian official confirmed Von der Leyen’s displacement to AFP, but did not provide further details.
The rise in arrivals reignites debate over how Europe shares responsibility for asylum seekers.
Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island, has long been an arrival point for boats carrying migrants from North Africa, but this week its migration center — built for fewer than 400 people — was overwhelmed.
Between Monday and Wednesday, some 8,500 people, more than the entire local population, arrived in 199 boats, according to figures from the UN migration agency.
Images of thousands of people sleeping outdoors, scaling the perimeter fence and wandering around the city of Lampedusa sparked anger among members of Italy’s far-right government.
Meloni on Friday urged the EU to do more to help with the issue.
Von der Leyen reached an agreement with Tunisia in July to stem the flow of irregular migration from the North African country.
Source: Ambito
