refugees
Von der Leyen and Meloni in Lampedusa
Ursula von der Leyen wants to get an idea of the situation of the refugees. photo
© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa
After the arrival of thousands of migrants, Lampedusa is overloaded. Von der Leyen gets an idea of the situation on site.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen opened the initial reception center for migrants with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Visited Lampedusa. The two politicians arrived on the small Italian Mediterranean island by plane in the morning.
Von der Leyen and Meloni looked around the so-called hotspot in the interior of the country and exchanged ideas with some migrants, as could be seen in images from the television channel RaiNews24. “We are doing our best,” the news agency Ansa quoted Meloni as saying.
The small island between Sicily and North Africa has been confronted with the arrival of several thousand boat migrants in recent days. Because of its proximity to the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, Lampedusa has been one of the hotspots of migration to Europe for years. The refugee camp was at times extremely overcrowded with 6,800 people. Many people have now been taken from Lampedusa to Sicily or to accommodation on the mainland – but the camp is still overloaded. A state of emergency was declared on Wednesday.
Consultations with other countries
In view of the situation in Lampedusa, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) held a telephone conference with her counterparts from Italy, France and Spain on Saturday afternoon. However, the telephone conference, in which EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson also took part, did not produce any concrete results, a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said upon request.
Faeser emphasized “that Germany has always shown solidarity and will continue to do so.” She also offered Germany humanitarian support. According to the statement, Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi called for a “new operational strategy” aimed at taking concrete initiatives to stop the crossings. The desire to “address the migration problem concretely and operationally” was also expressed.
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France’s solidarity with Italy in view of the situation in Lampedusa in a telephone conversation with Meloni. As the Elysée Palace said, both emphasized the need for a humanitarian approach and increased cooperation at EU level. France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin will travel to Italy for consultations in the next few days.