Italian president calls EU rules on sharing migrants ‘prehistoric’, urges for reforms

Italian President Sergio Mattarella during a meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the European Union rules on the distribution of migrants “prehistoric” as the debate raged on Friday (September 22), about how to manage the surge of migrant boat arrivals from North Africa.

Earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen following a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa – which has recently witnessed a record number of migrant arrivals and announced a state of emergency – promised a 10-point EU action plan to help Italy deal with the situation.

Italian president’s statement

During a visit to the Italian region of Sicily, on Thursday (Sept 21), with his German counterpart, Mattarella said the EU rules for migrant distribution were “prehistoric” and called for “new, courageous” solutions to deal with the surge of migration into Europe.

He also spoke about how it is necessary to think “how to use the rudimentary and outdated tools differently in the face of a totally new phenomenon,” adding that “the Dublin regulations are prehistoric” and drawn up “in another world, the phenomenon of mass migration had not begun.”

Similarly, the German president reiterated the criticism of the so-called Dublin procedure – which requires irregular migrants to be registered in the EU country they first enter – and said, “There must be progress here, that’s not even in question.”

He also hoped that the two countries would again meet on migration policy in the months to come after his meeting with Mattarella where the two heads of state visited a centre for refugees.

Notably, the Dublin procedure also says that should the irregular migrants head to another nation in the 27-nation bloc, they could be returned to their first port of call. Ahead of his visit, Steinmeier had also called for “fair distribution” of migrants arriving irregularly in Europe.

In an interview with Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper, the German president said both Rome and Berlin were “at their limits” and stressed the need for “stronger controls and surveillance at our external borders.”

What is happening in Lampedusa?

During her visit to the Italian island, the European Commission president vowed a 10-point EU action plan to help Italy which includes using the EU’s external borders agency Frontex to identify migrants arriving and repatriate those not eligible for asylum.

This comes after nearly 126,000 migrants have arrived in Italy just this year, which is almost double the figure by the same date in 2022.

Not to mention the island saw a sharp rise in the number of people arriving by boat, with more than 7,000 landing last week which prompted Lampedusa’s mayor, Filippo Mannino, to declare a state of emergency.

In response to the situation, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Tuesday (Sept 19) said that while his government has good diplomatic relations with Italy, they will not welcome any migrants coming from Lampedusa.

(With inputs from agencies)



WATCH WION LIVE HERE