Europe stands together in the Ukraine crisis. Five Mediterranean countries also demand this solidarity from the other EU member states when dealing with migrants.
The five Mediterranean countries Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Malta are demanding more solidarity from the EU member states when dealing with migrants.
A gradual negotiation for a European migration and asylum pact is supported, said Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese on Saturday after a meeting with her counterparts in Venice. It is the right step towards a balanced solution for responsibility and solidarity that other European countries should show.
The aim of the meeting was to find a common position for a new European migration policy. The EU members have been arguing for years about how to work together in the future when it comes to taking in migrants. The Mediterranean countries in particular are repeatedly demanding more support and redistribution mechanisms because most migrants arrive there.
Lessons from the Ukraine War
According to Lamorgese, the Ukraine crisis shows that Europe can stand together to help people fleeing. “This solidarity must also be established in a redistribution mechanism for migrants,” explained the non-party politician. Malta’s Interior Minister Byron Camilleri called for lessons to be learned from the Ukraine crisis. Migration in the Mediterranean region must also be managed jointly. “If we don’t act now on this migration crisis, we would send the message to act differently with other people who are seeking protection.”
The five states also called on the EU to cooperate with transit states and countries of origin in order to prevent the dangerous Mediterranean crossing of migrants and to work on the repatriation of people. The interior ministers complained about major problems caused by the increased number of migrants.
In Italy, the Ministry of the Interior has so far this year registered around 20,000 migrants who have reached the country in boats (as of Friday). According to statistics, that’s about 5,000 more than in the same period last year. In April and May, authorities saw a particularly significant increase in the arrival of boat migrants.
