Significantly more migrants are coming to the EU via the Mediterranean – Italy’s government is making it clear that it will not accept this – now there is a crisis meeting in Brussels
The EU interior ministers will discuss the increasing problems with illegal migration at a special meeting in Brussels on Friday afternoon. The aim is above all to defuse the dispute over taking in boat people who are picked up by the rescue ships of aid organizations in the Mediterranean and then taken towards the EU. Italy had recently refused such a ship entry into a port, whereupon it had to go to France.
The government in Paris was outraged and pointed out that rescue ships actually have a right to go to the nearest port. Italy, on the other hand, criticizes the lack of solidarity in other EU countries when it comes to taking in refugees and calls for more support. In addition, the crews of rescue ships are accused of promoting the business of smuggling gangs with their deployment in the Mediterranean. Most recently, these brought people from Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh on the life-threatening journey towards the EU.
action plan submitted
The basis for the talks between the interior ministers should be an action plan presented by the EU Commission last Monday. In particular, it envisages intensifying cooperation with countries of origin and transit and launching a new program against people smuggling in North Africa. There could be a special framework and guidelines from the International Maritime Organization for the use of private sea rescue ships, which repeatedly bring hundreds of migrants to European ports.
In addition, the solidarity mechanism voluntarily supported by around 20 EU countries should be better used. It was launched in June to support countries where large numbers of boat people arrive. Before the ministerial meeting, diplomats criticized that the action plan was little more than a compilation of old measures and proposals. Far-reaching decisions are not to be expected.
According to the Interior Ministry in Rome, more than 94,000 migrants have arrived in Italy since the beginning of the year. Compared to the same period last year, the number rose by around 53 percent. The EU Commissioner responsible, Ylva Johansson, described the situation on Monday as unsustainable and also pointed out that very few people who arrive leave their homeland because of political persecution.
2000 dead 2022 on Mediterranean route
“We have to keep in mind that a clear majority of the people arriving via this central Mediterranean route today do not need international protection,” Johansson said. Most of the people in the EU wanted to make money.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called on interior ministers to “put security and solidarity at the heart of their actions in the Mediterranean region and on all other migration routes”. While states pointed fingers at each other and blamed others, lives were lost – almost 2,000 this year, according to UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.
More government and better-coordinated search and rescue efforts, predictable disembarkations in safe locations, and an expedited process to identify those in need of international protection are needed. The refugee agency will support states to find humane solutions in accordance with international law to prevent further unnecessary deaths at sea, Grandi said.
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(APA/DPA)