The President of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyenvisited this Sunday the Italian island of Lampedusawhich is facing an increase in arrivals of immigrantsand promised an action plan for the EU 10 points to help Italy to face the situation.
Almost 126,000 immigrants have arrived in Italy so far this yeararound double that on the same date in 2022. The small island of Lampedusa has recently experienced a sharp increase in the number of people arriving by boat, with more than 7,000 landed this weekmore than the permanent population of the island.
Von der Leyen She was accompanied by the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the car that transported them to the immigrant reception center in Lampedusa It was briefly blocked by residents protesting the burden the island faces. “We are working on it… we are doing everything we can,” the Italian official told protesters.
After visiting the center, Von der Leyenwho is expected to run for a second term when it expires next year, presented a 10-point “action plan” to ease pressure on Italy, where most migrants from the United States arrive by boat. coasts of North Africa.
“Irregular migration is a European challenge and needs a European response, we are in this together,” he said in a joint press conference with Meloni. “You can count on the EU“he added in Italian.
The plan includes using the EU external border agency
In this framework, they indicated that the plan includes using the EU external border agency, Frontexto identify the immigrants arriving in Italy and repatriate those who do not qualify for asylum.
Frontex will also reinforce maritime and air surveillance of the vessels of immigrants and will help crack down on human traffickers, he said Von der Leyenadding that he had already discussed the plan with several EU leaders and was confident of their support.
He promised to speed up the supply of equipment to the coast guard in Tunisia, the main departure point for migrants, and speed up the transfer of funds to Tunisia under a deal reached in July to curb immigration.
Von der Leyen He also pledged to increase migrants’ access to legal channels, stating that “the better we are with legal migration, the stricter we can be on irregular migration,” while pledging to wage a sustained battle against traffickers.
The increase in immigrant crossings is a political headache for Meloniwho took office in October last year and has made the fight against illegal immigration one of the cornerstones of his rise to power.
This Sunday he reiterated that the correct approach is to prevent people from leaving Europenot redistribute immigrants throughout the block.
On Monday, his cabinet will meet to approve strict measures, such as the construction of new detention and repatriation centers and the extension of the maximum detention period for immigrants.
Source: Ambito
