Italy is not about to collapse
under the weight of incoming migrants and asylum seekers,
Premier Matteo Renzi said Wednesday after a summit with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel.
However it is an issue "that must be dealt with", Renzi
said, adding that Europe must arrange for the repatriation of
those migrants who don't have a right to political asylum "with
more determination".
Not only that, but repatriated migrants "must be inserted
into a European, EU-guaranteed project... allowing them to
return to their homes in conditions of safety," he said.
Renzi has in the past proposed an EU Migration Compact,
involving massive investments in migrant countries of origin in
sub-Saharan Africa.
The Italian premier also thanked the island nation of
Malta, which has agreed to let some of Italy's ships carrying
rescued migrants and asylum seekers dock in its ports.
"I spoke with Premier Joseph Muscat today," Renzi said. "In
this phase, a small portion will dock in Malta instead of
(Italy's island regions of) Sicily and Sardinia. These are small
signs of solidarity".
The European Commission said earlier that 1,020 migrants
presently in Italy have been relocated to other countries so
far.
Destinations include France (231), Holland (178) and
Portugal (171). Germany has taken in 20. A total of 39,600
people are supposed to be transferred elsewhere in Europe by
September 2017. Another 3,435 out of 66,400 have been relocated
from Greece, the Commission said.
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