Connect with us

EU

#Italy says #France and #Malta agreed to host some rescued migrants

SHARE:

Published

8 years ago

on

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

France and Malta have agreed to host 50 people each, responding to a request for help sent by Italy after it took part in the rescue of 450 migrants from an overcrowded ship in the Mediterranean, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (pictured) said, writes Francesca Landini.

Other European countries will also take some of the asylum seekers, Conte added in a message posted on his official Facebook profile on Saturday.

“This is the first important result obtained after a day of phone calls and written exchanges I have had with all 27 European leaders,” Conte said.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat confirmed that his tiny Mediterranean island would accept 50 people. “Malta not only demands but offers solidarity,” he tweeted.

French officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Earlier on Saturday(14 July) a ship operated by EU border agency Frontex and a vessel owned by Italy’s tax police picked up some 450 migrants near the Italian island of Linosa and more than 100 nautical miles from Malta. Valletta had rejected pressure from Rome on Friday to rescue them.

Conte posted the text of two separate letters he sent to European heads of state and government and to the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council.

“We have to act together with urgency to face this complex and very sensitive situation,” Conte wrote in one letter.

Advertisement

Conte also called for further measures to tackle illegal immigration, including pan-EU rules for private boats rescuing migrants, a strengthening of Frontex and talks with the United Nations on centres for asylum seekers outside Europe.

Conte said Italy would take some of the rescued migrants if other countries also agreed to share the burden.

Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who is leading a high-profile campaign to exclude humanitarian rescue ships from Italian ports, had insisted earlier on Saturday that the migrants could not land in Italy.

Eight of the migrants who needed medical assistance were taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa for treatment.

Salvini and Conte agreed by phone on Saturday there were three possible options, a source at the premier’s office said.

“The migrants could be distributed immediately among European countries, or Italy would contact Libya to send them back to where they came from,” the source said.

A third option would be to leave the migrants on the ships temporarily while their asylum requests are considered, the source added.

Share this article:

Share this:
Related Topics:
Guest Contributor - Opinion

Opinions expressed are purely those of the author and not endorsed by EU Reporter. The article was unsolicited by EU Reporter, and the author guarantees the truthfulness of the contents of the article. No payment was made by EU Reporter to the author

EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.
Advertisement

Trending