European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen paid a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa on Sunday, where she witnessed the challenges posed by a surge in migrant arrivals. In response, she announced a 10-point action plan aimed at assisting Italy in managing the situation effectively.
So far this year, Italy has received nearly 126,000 migrants, a figure almost double that of the same period in 2022. Lampedusa, a small island, has been grappling with a substantial increase in boat arrivals, with over 7,000 people landing in a single week, surpassing the island’s permanent population.
Accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, von der Leyen’s visit encountered a brief blockade by locals protesting the strain on Lampedusa Island’s resources.
“We’re working on it… we are doing our best,” reassured Meloni to the protesters.
Following their visit to the migrant reception center in Lampedusa, von der Leyen, who is expected to seek a second term when her current mandate ends next year, unveiled a 10-point action plan aimed at alleviating the pressure on Italy, the primary destination for migrants arriving from the shores of North Africa by boat.
“Irregular migration is a European challenge and it needs a European response, we are in this together,” she emphasized during a joint news conference with Meloni. “You can count on the EU,” she added in Italian.
The action plan includes utilizing the EU’s external borders agency, Frontex, to identify migrants arriving in Italy and repatriate those who do not qualify for asylum. Frontex will also enhance sea and aerial surveillance of migrant boats and collaborate in cracking down on human traffickers. Von der Leyen expressed confidence in the support of several EU leaders for this plan, having already discussed it with them.
Additionally, von der Leyen committed to expediting the provision of equipment to the Tunisian coastguard, the primary point of departure for sea migrants, and accelerating the transfer of funds to Tunisia as per a July agreement aimed at curbing migration.
She also pledged to improve access to legal migration channels for migrants, asserting that “the better we are with legal migration, the stricter we can be with irregular migration,” while emphasizing a sustained battle against traffickers.
The surge in migrant crossings presents a significant political challenge for Prime Minister Meloni, who assumed office in October of the previous year and has prioritized combating illegal immigration. She reiterated her stance that the most effective approach is preventing people from leaving for Europe rather than redistributing migrants within the EU.
On Monday, her cabinet is set to convene to approve stringent measures, including the construction of new detention and repatriation centers and the extension of the maximum detention period for migrants.