The European Union must do more to support sea rescue programs and other systems of support for migrants, rather than leaving the burden on Italy, the speaker of the Lower House said Thursday.
"(Italy's) Mare Nostrum (rescue program) isn't enough: it's praiseworthy, but it's not enough," said Laura Boldrini, during ceremonies marking the start of summer break.
"The European Union should have the capacity to weigh in and speak in just one voice," she added.
"These conflicts generate mass migration and for the first time last year, the number of refugees in the world reached 52 million, the highest level since the Second World War," Boldrini said.
Just one day earlier, a Liberian boat carrying 112 migrants from sub-Saharan African was escorted by the Italian Coast Guard Wednesday to Sicily's Porto Empedocle. Italian Premier Matteo Renzi has pleaded for more help from other European countries in managing the migrants, many of whom are heading for other parts of the continent.
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