Von der Leyen announces a European plan to stop the horror of Lampedusa

More irregular immigrants have arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa this week than it has a population (7,000 inhabitants): in just three days there have been 10,000. The reception center has a capacity for 400 people. These data already give an idea of the situation on the island, the gateway to Europe for thousands of irregulars from North Africa who embark in the Mediterranean to reach the continent.. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, traveled there this Sunday, announcing an urgent plan to confront this problem and appealing to the solidarity and responsibility of the European States when it comes to sharing the management of these flows.

“Irregular immigration is a European challenge that needs a European response,” said Von der Leyen.. Together with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, he visited the saturated reception center where some of the irregulars who arrived in recent days remain.. “The future of Europe is at stake here, because it depends on the countries' ability to face the great challenges,” Meloni added.

Von der Leyen has presented an emergency plan to organize the distribution of asylum seekers between the different member countries. Also to reinforce surveillance and pursue human traffickers, facilitate asylum for those irregulars who arrive and meet the requirements. In addition, the mechanisms of Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency, will be strengthened to be able to safely repatriate those who do not meet the requirements to stay.

The president of the Commission has urged countries to “make use of the voluntary solidarity mechanism” to share these flows.. In parallel, French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke with Meloni to “reiterate France's solidarity with Italy in the face of the migration challenge affecting the island of Lampedusa.”

Both leaders agree “on the need to face this challenge with humanity and to strengthen cooperation at the European level” and on “finding effective immediate and also long-term solutions to this crisis,” the Elysée said in a statement.

In this context of cooperation, the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, will travel to Lampedusa in the next few hours. A few months ago, he was already involved in a controversy with Meloni herself when he assured that she did not know how to manage “the problem of immigration in her country.”. His words created a diplomatic conflict that was finally resolved with the visit of the Italian president to Paris and with that of the French Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna, to Rome.

Italy is the first stop on the long and uncertain journey of many immigrants who flee North Africa and cross the Mediterranean with the aim of reaching Europe.. Many of those arriving in Lampedusa these days come from Tunisia, which is barely 150 kilometers from the island. Between Monday and Wednesday, 8,500 people arrived on the island in almost 200 boats, according to the Italian press.

Giorgia Meloni already had to declare a state of emergency a few months ago due to not being able to face the migratory pressure. The Italian defends that it is better to focus on trying to stop departures (through agreements with countries of origin, for example) than on managing arrivals.. So far this year, 127,207 immigrants have landed in Italy, almost double that of the same period in 2022 and triple that of 2021, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior.

The latest coups d'état in some African countries, such as Niger or Gabon, could aggravate the problem and cause thousands of people to flee from these places, bound for Europe, the prime minister has warned.. This Sunday, the Italian Red Cross counted 1,500 immigrants in Lampedusa in a reception center with a capacity for 400, according to AFP.

There are thousands who have reached these shores, but many others remain on the journey.. Several boats from different NGOs have rescued more than a thousand migrants these days. Last June, a fishing boat carrying around 700 people sank in Greek waters.. At least 79 people died and hundreds were missing.