Interior Minister Angelino
Alfano confirmed Friday that Italy's Mare Nostrum migrant search
and rescue operation ends Friday with the European Union's
maritime patrol operation, Triton, taking over Saturday.
Triton comes after strenuous pressure from Italy for the EU
to take over its Mare Nostrum mission, which was set up in
October 2013 after almost 400 people perished off the coast of
Sicily in two migrant boat disasters.
Italy has saved some 150,000 lives in the 12 months since
Mare Nostrum began.
"Mare Nostrum was conceived as a limited, emergency
operation after the Lampedusa tragedy, and it went on longer
than expected," Alfano said.
"Today we can say Italy did its duty".
Operated by EU border agency Frontex, Triton will employ
six ships, two airplanes and a helicopter, and will have bases
on the island of Lampedusa - Italy's southernmost point, where
most vessels sailing from North Africa first make landfall - and
Porto Empedocle on the coast of Sicily.
But with only one-third of the budget of Mare Nostrum,
officials have said Triton will emphasize border control over
rescue.
Alfano stressed the monetary advantages to Italy of no
longer having to save refugee lives on its own. Triton will have
a budget of three million euros a month, while Italy spent 9.5
million euros a month on Mare Nostrum, he said.
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