The migration crisis in Lampedusa is also affecting Italy’s neighboring countries. The government in Paris announced this week an increase in the number of security forces on the border with Italy. Austria is also in close contact with the Italian authorities. Surveillance of the Brenner border has been intensified.
The Italian Mediterranean island of Lampedusa is currently faced with the arrival of thousands of migrants that it is barely able to cope with. The Italian Red Cross reported more than 7,000 new arrivals on Wednesday evening – as many as the island, 145 kilometers north of Tunisia, has inhabitants. The good weather of the past few days meant that more people than usual set out from North Africa in boats across the Mediterranean. The island’s reception center is designed for fewer than 400 people. Men, women and children had to spend the nights in the open air around the camp. A state of emergency was therefore declared on Wednesday. The European Commission announced on Thursday that it was in close contact with the Italian authorities. Around 450 employees from the EU Asylum Agency and Frontex are currently deployed on site. Italy is also being supported financially with 14 million euros in emergency aid. A special meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday as part of the EU solidarity platform. On this, the member states can exchange information about their absorption capacities.if(!apaResc)var apaResc=function(a)var e=window.addEventListener?”addEventListener”:”attachEvent”,t,n;(0,window[e])(“attachEvent”==e?”onmessage”:”message”,function(e)if(e.data[a]) for(var t=document.getElementsByClassName(a),n=0;n!=t.length;n++) t[n].style.height=e.data[a]+”px”,!1); apaResc(“apa-1228-23”);Edtstadler: “EU migration system has failed”European Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) emphasized that the “dramatic images from Lampedusa” once again showed “that the current European migration system has failed. The European Union has stood by for far too long.” She called for fundamental reforms. “Europe must regain control of its borders, combat the root causes of flight and establish rapid asylum procedures at the EU’s external borders,” explained Edtstadler on Friday. The Austrian Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it was in contact with the Italian authorities. At the same time, monitoring on the burner would be intensified. However, experts assume that most migrants will stay in Italy or travel on to France. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) is certain that “the EU Commission must become even more consistent, stricter and faster in combating human trafficking and asylum abuse.” The Green Party’s foreign policy spokeswoman, Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic, called for “finally fair distribution quotas all member states and more solidarity”. “Legal and safe escape routes are needed, also to prevent future tragedies,” said Ernst-Dziedzic. Bus carrying migrants crashed Near the Italian capital Rome on Friday there was an accident involving a bus carrying migrants who had landed on Lampedusa a few days ago , came with two dead. The bus collided head-on with another vehicle on the highway, the ANSA and Adnkronos news agencies reported, citing traffic police. According to the information, the dead were the drivers of the two vehicles. According to ANSA, 25 migrants were injured – some of them seriously.
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