EC President Proposes a 10-Point Plan To Help Italy Over the Migration Crisis

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have announced a 10-point plan to address the dramatic increase in migration.

This is reported by Deutsche Welle.

Over the past week, more than 7,000 migrants have arrived in Lampedusa on flimsy boats from Tunisia. Lampedusa, located in the Mediterranean Sea between Tunisia and Malta, has a population of around 6,000. The migrant reception centre has a capacity for only 400 migrants, forcing local authorities to declare a state of emergency.

Meloni stressed that the "problem of the massive flow of immigrants" needs to be addressed at the European level. 

During her visit, the European Commission President announced a 10-point action plan for Lampedusa. 

"Migration is a European challenge, and it will have a European solution," von der Leyen said, suggesting the following set of immediate actions to be taken in full respect of fundamental rights and international obligations:

1. Strengthen support to Italy from the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA) and the European Border and Coast Guard (Frontex) to manage the large number of migrants and ensure registration of arrivals.
2. Support the movement of people out of Lampedusa, including to other Member States, using the voluntary solidarity mechanism.
3. Intensify returns by launching renewed, coordinated work with the main countries of origin of new arrivals.
4. Support migration prevention by establishing operational partnerships with countries of origin and transit to combat human smuggling. This includes the establishment of a working group in Europol to focus on combating smuggling along the route to Tunisia and onwards to Lampedusa. 
5. Enhance border surveillance at sea and aerial surveillance and explore the possibility of expanding naval missions in the Mediterranean. In addition, increase training for the Tunisian coast guard and other law enforcement agencies. 
6. Take measures to limit the use of unseaworthy vessels and take action against smugglers' supply and logistics chains. 
7. Strengthen EUAA support for the application of fast-track border and expedited procedures, rejecting applications as manifestly unfounded, issuing entry bans and recording them in the Schengen Information System (SIS).
8. Raising awareness and conducting communication campaigns, while continuing to work on offering alternatives such as humanitarian admission and legal routes.
9. Intensify cooperation with UNHCR to adopt a comprehensive approach and increase assistance for voluntary returns from transit countries.
10. Implement the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and prioritise actions with immediate impact to address the current situation and accelerate the contracting of new projects under the MoU.

In July, the EU already signed an agreement with Tunisia to help end migration from North Africa.