Juncker migrant reply a step forward

(ANSA) - Rome, July 20 - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's reply to Premier Giuseppe Conte's letter asking that Italy not be the only country where the Sophia mission lands migrants "is another important step forward," Conte said Friday. "We have made another important step forward on the immigration front today," Conte said.
    "The reply from President Juncker, whom I thank, de facto accepts the principle whereby immigration is a European challenge, which concerns all 28 countries and which therefore requires European solutions and not ones from a single country".
    Juncker said Friday Conte was "right" to urge regional cooperation on migrant landings but "ad hoc solutions do not represent a sustainable way of proceeding". Juncker was referring to the division of 450 migrants who landed at Pozzallo in Sicily among six EU countries.
    He said "the events of last weekend showed a shared sense of solidarity on the part of member States (France, Germany, Malta, Spain, Portugal and Ireland) who offered to take a part of the migrants who landed at Pozzallo".
    Juncker was replying to a letter to EU authorities from Conte proposing making such arrangements permanent for the Sophia Mission.