The Italian government approved new rules against illegal migration on Monday. Since then, migrants have continued to arrive in Lampedusa. According to authorities, there were 185 people on four boats on Tuesday and 475 people on Monday. The Italian government has now expressed doubts about Tunisia’s willingness to cooperate.
Many of the migrants – 11,000 in the past week – come from Tunisia. Due to the increasing numbers and life-threatening journeys across the Mediterranean, the EU and Tunisia governments decided in July to strengthen cooperation on migration. In return for financial aid, the African country should take more action against smugglers and illegal crossings to reduce the number of people leaving for Europe. So far that has not happened.
“There are questions about the ability and sometimes the willingness of Tunisian institutions to cooperate, even though they have rescued tens of thousands of people since the beginning of the year,” Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said on Tuesday. The problem is not the distribution of migrants who have arrived among EU countries, but rather a common European policy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also emphasized during her visit to Lampedusa that she is currently not calling for redistribution across Europe. “We must stop the influx of illegal migrants from outside,” she said. There is therefore a need for a new naval mission involving the EU.
1544 migrants in the hotspot
On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen presented a ten-point plan on how the EU can help Italy. For example, she announced that she would send staff from the EU border protection agency Frontex and the European Asylum Agency EASO to Lampedusa. Her team will also try to expedite the disbursement of funds to Tunisia.
As of Tuesday morning, 1,544 migrants were in the island’s hotspot. 450 of them would leave Lampedusa during the day for Sicily. As reported, the Council of Ministers in Rome approved a new package on Monday afternoon to combat illegal migration. For example, the maximum duration of possible detention pending deportation was extended by six months (to 18 months). According to EU law, this is the maximum allowed. In addition, special detention centers will be set up that will be fenced and monitored.
Next week the Council of Ministers wants to deal with unaccompanied minors. “We want to prevent everyone from being integrated into the reception systems intended for minors with a simple self-certification, as is currently the case,” said Meloni.
Source: Krone
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