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.
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