aSeveral thousand boat migrants arrive back on the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean every day. Authorities registered more than 5,000 people within 24 hours on Tuesday, according to Interior Ministry figures on Wednesday. ANSA reported more than 5,100 cases, more than ever in a single day. A tragic accident occurred on Wednesday night: While trying to lower a five-month-old baby to land, the infant fell into the water and drowned.
The island, located between Sicily and North Africa, has been one of the hotspots for migration to Europe for years. The situation on Tuesday was confusing, which is why there was initially talk of 2,500 people arriving. After a period in which fewer migrants arrived on the island, Lampedusa once again has to deal with thousands of new arrivals. after Figures from the Ministry of the Interior in Rome Since the start of the year, more than 123,800 people have been registered as having arrived in Italy by boat – last year there were 65,500 from January to mid-September. If this trend continues, the record set in 2016 may be surpassed by the end of the year. At that time 181,000 people came.
A group of migrants waiting on the island of Lampedusa
Source: photo alliance/ZUMAPRESS.com/Elio Desiderio
The handling of migrants also raises new discussions between the federal government and Italy’s right-wing government. Berlin has suspended a program to voluntarily accept migrants from Italy, as first reported by WELT.
Germany had initially promised to receive 3,500 asylum seekers from particularly troubled countries on Europe’s external borders in the south. So far, 1,700 people seeking protection have been transferred through the so-called European Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism so that they can complete their asylum procedures in Germany.
It is no longer planned to accept more migrants, also because there are problems in readmitting migrants under the so-called Dublin rules, according to the ministry. These rules stipulate that asylum seekers must – in a few exceptional cases – submit their application in the first EU country in which they are registered. Anyone who tries to do so in another country could be sent back there.
A ministry spokesperson said: “In light of the current significant migration pressure into Germany, the continued suspension of Dublin transfers by some member states, including Italy, reinforces the major challenges that Germany currently faces with regard to its reception and accommodation capacities.” By the end of August, only ten transfers had taken place from Dublin to Italy. Rome has been informed that the immigration selection process will be postponed.
“It is impossible to guarantee adequate assistance to migrants”
“Migration is a European problem,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote. On the electronic platform X (formerly Twitter). It must be resolved with the participation of all European Union countries. European Parliament President Roberta Mitsola also stressed that the solutions do not lie at the national level, but only at the European level.
Lampedusa is located 190 kilometers from the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, where many refugee boats depart for Europe. Accidents resulting in fatalities occur repeatedly during high-risk crossings. Mayor Filippo Mannino described the situation as no longer sustainable. “Against this background, it is impossible to guarantee adequate assistance to migrants, despite enormous logistical efforts.”
The initial reception center, which seats about 400 people, is once again crowded. There are currently approximately 6,800 migrants on the island, most of them in the camp. Mannino called for boats carrying migrants to be intercepted and transported to Sicily or the mainland. The family of the drowned child headed to Europe from the West African country of Guinea. The mother is a minor.
