On the massive arrivals of migrants in Lampedusa “we must show all solidarity with Italy in a difficult moment”. “The European Union will be at Italy’s side”. The High Representative of the EU said this, Joseph Borrell, in an interview with France 24 and Radio France International. Borrell stated “the need for border control with policies that go beyond security measures, and agreements with countries of origin and transit that allow us to regularly receive the migration we need and also guarantee the expulsion of migrants illegal migrants “who risk their lives for nothing”.
For further information Agenzia ANSA The Pope: ‘There is no invasion of migrants, alarmist propaganda’ – News – Ansa.it ‘Many ports closed, people are only looking for hospitality’ (ANSA)
The Pope meets Macron in Marseille, the migration issue at the center
The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, spoke with the Pope about the “migration question” and the “end of life” in this morning’s meeting during Francis’ visit to Marseille. We learn this from a note from the Elysée.Regarding the Pope’s words on migrants, Elysée sources cited Francis’ complaint about the “indifference” of European political leaders, but underlined that “France should not be ashamed, it is a country of welcome and integration”.
During the homily, the Pope invited Europeans not to fall ill with “cynicism” and “indifference”. “To jump – he said in the homily of the mass, commenting on the Gospel – means to be ‘touched inside’, to have an interior tremor, to feel that something is moving in our heart. It is the opposite of a flat, cold heart, settled into the quiet life , which locks itself in indifference and becomes waterproof, which hardens, insensitive to everything and everyone, even to the tragic waste of human life, which today is rejected in many people who emigrate, as well as in many unborn children and in many elderly people abandoned. A cold and flat heart drags life along mechanically, without passion, without impulse, without desire”. “In our European society – warned Pope Francis -, one can become ill: cynicism, disenchantment, resignation, uncertainty, a general sense of sadness”.
From Berlin 790 thousand euros to the NGO SOS Humanity
Meanwhile, the clash between Rome and Berlin continues over German funding for NGOs for rescue operations in the Mediterranean. In particular, “790,000 euros” have been allocated for the German NGO SOS Humanity which the German government has decided to finance for rescue interventions for migrants in difficulty in the Mediterranean by implementing a decision of the Bundestag, the Berlin Parliament. The coordinator of the organization’s “land-sea” communication, Lukas Kaldenhoff, reported this to ANSA, defining the figure as very “small” compared to European availability and capable of covering only a quarter of SOS Humanity’s annual needs.
EU: ‘The management of migrants must be humane and dignified’
“In general, our long-standing position is that migration must be managed in a humane and dignified way”. He answers like this Anitta Hipper, spokesperson of the EU Commission on home affairs, migration and internal security, interviewed by ANSA about the Pope’s appeal, who in Marseille invited migrants not to be rejected, ensuring an “equitable welcome” in Europe. “We don’t comment on the statements,” she specifies. The position of the EU executive on the issue, she adds, “is the reason why in September 2020 the Commission presented the pact on migration and asylum as a sustainable long-term solution”. “The objective – explains the Commission spokesperson on the Pact on Migration and Asylum – is to establish a common framework that contributes to the global approach to the management of asylum and migration based on the principles of integrated policy development, solidarity and fair sharing of responsibilities. Negotiations on the pact are ongoing and the co-legislators have committed to conclude them by February 2024.”
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