“Capacities are limited”
FDP for stopping the admission of refugees from Italy
September 18, 2023, 8:56 a.m
Hundreds of people reach the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa every day in overcrowded boats. Italy and the EU want to react quickly. But before a decision is made, FDP General Secretary Djir-Sarai has already taken a clear position.
Shortly before new discussions between the European Union’s interior ministers on reactions to the refugee dynamics on the Italian island of Lampedusa, the FDP spoke out against accepting further refugees from Italy. “Germany should not accept any migrants from Italy at the moment,” said FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai to the newspaper “Rheinische Post”.
“Our capacities are limited and many municipalities are already acutely overwhelmed when it comes to accommodating and caring for asylum seekers,” explained the FDP politician. To help the EU deal with the problem, Djir-Sarai recommended strengthening the external borders. “We urgently need to improve the EU’s border protection capabilities – this includes physical borders as well as stricter surveillance of the Mediterranean.” Hundreds of people have been arriving on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa every day in overcrowded boats for weeks. Lampedusa is visited by numerous smuggler boats from North Africa.
Italy and the EU want to react quickly to the sharp increase in the number of migrants and refugees in recent days. During a visit to Lampedusa with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for joint action by the 27 EU states and migration agreements with the North African states.
Von der Leyen spoke of a ten-point plan from the Commission and called on other EU states to show solidarity with Italy. “I offer a coordinated response from Italian and European leaders,” she said. On Saturday, the interior ministers of Italy, Spain, France and Germany discussed how to proceed with the EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson. The conversation is scheduled to continue this Monday.