Between 500,000 and a million
migrants could set off for Europe via Italy from Libya this
year, the executive director of the EU's Frontex border agency
told ANSA Friday.
"We have to be ready to address a more difficult situation
than last year," said Fabrice Leggeri.
"Our sources tell us there are anywhere between 500,000 to
a million people ready to leave from Libya".
The EU has vowed to boost Frontex's Triton operation to try
to cope with greater migrant flows and avert disasters.
Frontex coordinates the EU's Triton maritime patrol
operation in the southern Mediterranean, which replaced Italy's
better-funded Mare Nostrum migrant-search-and-rescue programme
last year.
Frontex "can't cope" on its own with a migrant emergency in
the Mediterranean, Leggeri said.
He asked for "more resources" from the EU as well as a
"contribution" from more member states.
Leggeri admitted that migrant operations near the Libya
coast were risky after cases of human traffickers threatening
Italian coast guard vessels.
"The Italian authorities have taken steps to reinforce
security and mitigate the risk," Leggeri told ANSA.
"I can't go into specifics because it is sensitive
information. We had an exchange of opinions on this with the EU
member nations. But that doesn't mean where won't be incidents
tomorrow".
Also on Friday, Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said in
the Latvian capital of Riga that there's no need for
"scaremongering" on the migrant issue.
"We Italians and Europeans need to commit more to facing
the migration phenomenon," the minister said at an informal
meeting of EU foreign ministers that takes place every six
months.
"We call on Frontex to cooperate more".
A reported 8,918 migrants have landed in Italy from January
1 through March 4 this year, a significant increase from the
5,611 recorded in the same period last year, Gentiloni said
Thursday.
The minister also noted that a total of 170,000 migrants
disembarked on Italian coasts in 2014, out of a total of 278,000
in the European Union.
Overall, 70,000 asylum requests were presented in Italy,
the country with the highest number of applications after
Germany and Sweden - up 140% on the previous year.
Gentiloni went on to praise Triton for saving the lives of
23,000 immigrants from October until January. However, he added,
"more can be done".
The deaths at sea of 50 refugees in the latest
Mediterranean disaster on Wednesday has reignited debate about
the effectiveness of the Triton program.
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