Prime minister says Italy ‘under incredible pressure’ from large number of arrivals from north Africa
The majority of refugees arriving in Lampedusa are transferred to overcrowded reception centres in Sicily. On Monday, hundreds escaped from a centre in Porto Empedocle in a desperate search for food., where for years French police have used ruthless tactics to make the border crossing impenetrable.
During a visit to Lampedusa on Sunday, Meloni, who took power last October vowing to stop illegal immigration, said “the future of Europe is at stake” unless EU countries worked together to come up with “serious solutions”.signed in July between the EU and Tunisia, from where the vast majority of people are setting off, to stem irregular migration. However, no money has yet changed hands and the number of people crossing to Italy has risen by almost 70% since the deal was signed.
On Wednesday, the European commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, said the deal was a good one. “You can’t expect to break down the smugglers’ network in two months,” heVárhelyi said that fruits of the pact were beginning to emerge despite 114,000 arrivals in the first eight months of the year. “In 2022 the Tunisian coastguard intercepted 9,376 migrants, this year we are already at 24,000.
Meloni also rejected criticism of the deal, telling the UN assembly that “it is a model to use with other nations too”.
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