The Italian government announced today that it has imposed a state of emergency due to migration after a “sudden increase” in the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean Sea, according to a statement.
The state of emergency will be supported by initial funding of five million euros, the Ministry of the Sea and Civil Protection announced, and will last for six months.
“Let it be clear, we are not solving the problem, the solution can only depend on the responsible intervention of the EU,” said Nello Musumeci, Minister of Civil Protection.
The measure will allow Djordje Meloni’s government to more quickly return those who are not allowed to stay in Italy, increasing identification and deportation orders, a government source said.
The government, in office since October, has promised to curb mass immigration, but around 31,300 migrants have arrived in Italy since the start of the year, according to Interior Ministry data, compared to around 7,900 in the same period last year.
The Coastguard yesterday led rescue operations involving two ships carrying a total of 1,200 people, with charity groups also joining forces to save lives at sea.
After a deadly shipwreck in the southern Italian region of Calabria in late February, Meloni called on the EU to do more to stop illegal immigration, as she toughened prison sentences for people smugglers.
“It is right that the Ministry of the Interior and the institutions should have special powers to deal with and manage the complex phenomenon that burdens some southern regions,” Calabria Governor Roberto Occiuto said in a statement.
(Srna)