Italy sees the EU as an obligation when it comes to migration

The Italian government sees the EU as an obligation to limit the arrival of migrants via the Mediterranean route.

After the cabinet declared a nationwide state of emergency on Tuesday given rising numbers, Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said: “It should be clear that the state of emergency will not solve the problem.” Only a “conscientious and responsible intervention of the European Union” can help to cope. With the state of emergency, however, the government was initially able to release money and aid more easily.

According to a statement, the government expects a further increase in the arrival of migrants in the coming months. According to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the declaration of the state of emergency should therefore provide “effective and timely responses to the organization of flows”, her office in Rome announced late Tuesday evening.

The state of emergency is valid for six months and is intended to relieve the particularly affected regions in the south of the Mediterranean country. Initially, five million euros would be made available for this purpose. The money should therefore be made available from the national disaster fund. It should also become easier to set up new reception centers for refugees.

This measure is usually used to respond to natural disasters, such as earthquakes or record droughts in the summer of 2022. The fact that a state of emergency has been declared because of the migrants has led to criticism from opposition politicians. Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s ex-prime minister, wrote on Facebook that Meloni has declared a state of emergency “because she is unable to cope with the arrival of migrants, which have quadrupled compared to last year”.

Italy has been talking about the arrival of thousands of boat migrants for some time. There has been disagreement between the EU member states about the distribution of protection seekers for years. The Interior Ministry in Rome this year recorded more than 31,000 people reaching Italy on boats or rescued in the Mediterranean Sea and brought ashore – up from about 7,900 in the same period last year.

The island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean is particularly hard hit at the moment. After the arrival of thousands of people, the shelter there is overcrowded. The camp, which can actually hold up to nearly 400 people, is currently home to more than 1,800 migrants, Ansa news agency reports. (saw/sda/dpa)