The first group of asylum seekers
to be transferred from Italy as part of the European
Commission's redistribution plan departed on Friday, when a
finance police aeroplane carrying 19 Eritrean refugees took off
from Rome's Ciampino Airport heading for Sweden.
The group, which included five women, arrived on the
southern Italian island of Lampedusa a few days ago.
"The flight that has just taken off is a symbol of
victory, the victory of Europe that can show solidarity and be
responsible, and it's a defeat for those like (anti-immigrant
Northern League party leader Matteo) Salvini, who bet everything
against Italy and against Europe," Interior Minister Angelino
Alfano said after seeing the refugees off along with European
Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.
The EU has agreed to redistribute some 160,000 asylum
seekers, mostly from Italy and Greece, whose outlying islands
are the first landfall for the majority of refugees and asylum
seekers crossing the Mediterranean in often unseaworthy boats in
a bid to flee war and destitution in Africa and the Middle East.
"Over the next few weeks Italy is ready to transfer another
100 asylum seekers to Germany, the Netherlands, and other
countries that have said they are willing to receive them,"
Alfano said.
"Over 40,000 will go in two years".
Michele, a 26-year-old who was among the group of
refugees, said that he was "seeking peace and serenity, which I
didn't have in Eritrea".
As part of the EU plan, Italy and Greece have agreed to
set up hotspots to register asylum seekers and speed up the
handling of claims, after allegations from other States that
these were not being handled effectively and too many arrivals
were being lost track of.
"The asylum seekers do not decide which country they want
to go to," Avramopoulos told reporters.
"This is our decision and it they don't accept it, they
have to return to where they come from".
Premier Matteo Renzi's government also successfully lobbied
to have funding for the EU's Triton patrol-and-rescue mission
tripled.
The aim is to try to prevent more migrant boat deaths after
a long series of disasters and mass drowings in the southern
Mediterranean.
The EU has also launched a naval mission targeting human
traffickers off the coast of Libya that Italy called for.
The Sophia mission, led by Italian admiral Enrico
Credendino and featuring six military ships from several
countries kicked off on Wednesday.
The United Nations Security Council voted to give its
blessing to the operation on Friday.
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