“The migration issue will be one of Italy’s priorities during the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU”, asserted Deputy Minister Lapo Pistelli at the conclusion of his meeting this morning at the foreign ministry in Rome with Deputy Director General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Laura Thompson.
Based on recent events, Italy is on the front lines in the management of migration flows (the number of arrivals by sea tripled in 2013 compared with the previous year, and there was an increase of 900% in boat landings in the first 5 months of 2014 over the same period of 2013).
“We plan to handle the migration phenomenon not only through short-term interventions, but also through long-term policies”. Pistelli confirmed Italy’s intention to work with countries of origin and transit, particularly those in the Horn of Africa, Libya and Egypt. Most of the migrants that reach our coast come from those areas where, he explained, it is necessary to offer alternatives to illegal immigration.
The deputy director of the IOM agreed with Italy and its priorities, expressing her appreciation for the “Mare Nostrum” operation and for the upcoming Italian presidency’s foregrounding of the migration question.
