Italy threatens to close its ports to ships carrying rescued migrants, saying it can no longer cope
The Telegraph
By Nick Squires, Rome
29.06.2017
More than 73,000 asylum seekers have been rescued off the coast of Libya and brought to Italy this year, on top of the 181,000 who arrived last year, and Rome’s patience is running out.
The vast majority are economic migrants, with Nigerians and Bangladeshi the most numerous nationalities, followed by people from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Gambia and Senegal.
In the space of just 48 hours this week, 10,000 were pulled from leaking rubber dinghies and decrepit wooden boats and safely transported to Sicily and other parts of southern Italy.
Paolo Gentiloni, the prime minister, says the situation is no longer sustainable unless Italy receives a lot more help from the rest of the EU.
Italy is “a country under pressure, and we ask the help of our European allies," he said on Thursday at a press conference in Berlin.
The government said on Wednesday that unless the burden is shared more equitably, it would consider blocking foreign NGOs from disembarking migrants at its ports. A host of humanitarian groups are rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean, including Spanish, French and German organisations.
Italy has mooted the idea of some of the migrants being unloaded in ports in other Mediterranean nations, such as Spain and France – a proposal that would likely prove politically toxic for those countries’ governments.
"Politically, the situation is not good for Italy. If the arrival figures keep on rising, Rome will be in trouble," an EU diplomat told Reuters. "But there are no easy solutions. I don't think others would be happy to accept these vessels in their ports."
In response to the Italian threat, the EU on Thursday pledged more financial support and urged Italy not to act hastily.
"We support and we understand Italy's concern and we support their call for a change in the situation," said Natasha Bertaud, European Commission spokeswoman. "But what we're also saying is that any change in policy should first be discussed with other member states, and also properly communicated to the NGOs who are running these boats so that they have time to prepare."
Under EU rules, a migrant must apply for asylum in the country in which he or she first arrives, placing an enormous burden on Italy to house and feed the migrants while they wait for their applications to be processed.
The number of arrivals so far this year is up by 14 per cent compared with the same period last year and the Italians fear the total could reach more than 220,000 by December.
With migrant reception centres full to bursting and many asylum seekers living rough in Italy’s major cities, the country’s patience with Europe is wearing thin.
In local elections this week, the ruling Democratic Party, which has been broadly welcoming to migrants, took a pasting, while centre-Right parties towing a harder line triumphed.
“The government must block the boats that are heading towards Italy and ask the EU to redirect them to other ports in the Mediterranean,” said Renato Brunetta, a senior figure in the centre-Right Forza Italia party of Silvio Berlusconi.
“We are facing an invasion by foreigners,” said Maurizio Gasparri, another Right-wing politician.
Antonio Tajani, the president of the European Parliament, said: “A cry of alarm has come from Italy, an SOS…we can't leave it on its own. After the closure of the Balkan route, it is indispensable to also close the central Mediterranean one. We can't have any more delays in solving the problem".
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/29/italy-threatens-close-ports-ships-carrying-rescued-migrants/
