The European leader’s visit coincided with the arrival of more than 1,000 migrants on the island in recent hours, a far cry from the more than 10,000 people who arrived in three days in the middle of this week.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced this Sunday from the Italian island of Lampedusa, the epicenter of the migration crisis of the Mediterranean, a European action plan to curb irregular immigration and share the management of transfers of migrants arriving on the Italian coast.
“I have come to Lampedusa to say that illegal immigration is a European challenge and requires a European response,” said Von der Leyen, accompanied by the Italian Prime Minister. Giorgia Meloniwho requested help after the arrival of the European leader more than 10,000 migrants to the island in just three days.
The announced program consists of ten commitments, including: solidarity mechanism for other European countries to transfer migrants arriving in Lampedusa from Italy, update European legislation against human trafficking and define new legal and safe humanitarian corridors.
Von der Leyen has also promised it to increase aerial surveillance of the Mediterraneanthrough European agencies such as Frontex, and coordinate protocols with countries of origin to safely repatriate migrants who do not meet European asylum conditions.
“We must decide who enters the European Union, and not the human traffickers,” he said in his speech after a visit to the reception center where dozens of ships from Africa arrive every day.
The visit of the European president coincided with the arrival of more than 1000 migrants to the island in the last hours.
This situation completely overwhelmed the reception capacity of the island, whose area it is 20 square kilometersand prompted the leader of Italy’s executive branch to demand help from the European Union.
The European program is an impetus for the strategy that the far-right Meloni has championed since she took office almost a year ago: stop disputes over the distribution of migrants between European countries and concentrate efforts on stop exits through agreements with African states.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
