Italy calls on EU to find solution on migrants

As the gateway to Europe, Italy has faced pressure from an overload of illegal immigrants for many years, causing the country to call on the EU to find support solutions.

Migrants on Lampedusa island, Italy on September 14. Photo: AFP

Recently, the Italian Ministry of the Interior reported that within 24 hours on September 12, about 6,800 migrants arrived on the island of Lampedusa. Thus, from September 11 to 13, about 8,500 migrants, more than the entire population of Lampedusa, arrived on the island on 199 boats. This is a serious challenge for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni when he pledged to prevent illegal immigration into the country.

The Mediterranean island of Lampedusa is the first destination for migrants entering Europe. From here, they continue to move north to other European countries, hoping for a better life. However, few of them realize their dreams when they set foot on the “promised land”.

According to Italian authorities, another reason for the increase in the number of migrants arriving on Lampedusa island is the congestion at Tunisian ports in recent days due to rough seas.

With only 450 beds available at the island’s only migrant shelter, authorities have been rushing migrants by commercial or coast guard vessels to Sicily, or Calabria in southern Italy. Francesca Basile, a spokeswoman for the Italian Red Cross in Lampedusa, said they were “working hard” to provide “basic services” to the 6,000 migrants on Lampedusa. But thousands of migrants remain in need.

More than 120,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea this year, including more than 11,000 unaccompanied minors, the Italian Interior Ministry said. Most migrants cross Italy on foot, by bus and by train as they try to reach the north of the country.

Andrea Costa, president of Baobab Experience, a non-profit association that helps migrants in transit in Rome, said they have seen a sharp increase in the number of migrants from South Sudan, Sudan and Eritrea this summer.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2016, Italy received more than 180,000 asylum seekers, causing the country to be overloaded with illegal immigrants. The rapid increase in illegal immigration since the beginning of the year has made the country even more in crisis.

Previously, France and Germany affirmed that they would refuse migrants who travel by sea through the Italian coast, despite the European Union (EU)'s asylum regulations. In July, the EU also reached an agreement with Tunisia to curb the flow of illegal immigrants from this North African country to Europe. However, the current migration wave has not decreased but increased.

Speaking at a press conference with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen during a joint visit to Lampedusa, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that EU countries need to coordinate to deal with the common challenges posed by the uncontrolled wave of migrants. Prime Minister Meloni stressed that this issue is threatening the future that the EU is aiming for, a future that depends on the bloc's ability to respond to major challenges.

Sharing the same view, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the wave of illegal migration is a challenge for the whole of Europe, so a common response is needed from the whole bloc. She called on other EU members to accept migrants to share the burden with Italy.

In theory, that is true, but in reality, many EU countries refuse to accept migrants, causing some countries to fall into crisis. Therefore, finding a solution to the migrant crisis in Europe is still open.

Since the beginning of 2023, more than 127,000 migrants have reached Italy's coastal areas, nearly double the number recorded during the same period in 2022. According to the United Nations, more than 2,000 migrants have died while attempting to cross the sea from North Africa to Malta and Italy in 2023.

HN synthesis

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