European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised a swift return of illegal immigrants and a crackdown on the brutal trade during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni on Sunday on the tiny fishing island where nearly 7,000 migrants arrived in a single day last week. Human trafficking gave.
According to the France 24 report, he said in this regard: We are the ones who will decide who and under what conditions will come to the European Union, not the smugglers. After touring the island, von der Leyen announced that the Red Cross has built a center for about 1,500 migrants and hundreds of people remain to be accommodated.
Tensions have risen dramatically on the island, which is closer to Tunisia than to Italy, with residents expressing concern over the constant flow of migrants trying to reach Europe’s shores from North Africa.
Faced with the new crisis, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni has pledged tougher measures and called for a maritime blockade of North Africa to prevent migrants from leaving on smugglers’ boats. The head of the European Commission, on the other hand, supported “exploring options to expand existing maritime missions in the Mediterranean or work on new missions”.
The plan also includes accelerating aid to Tunisia as part of a deal with the European Union to prevent departures in exchange for Italy helping to expedite asylum applications and creating humanitarian corridors in countries of origin to prevent illegal routes.
He also pledged to support the border agency Frontex in ensuring the swift return of migrants who are ineligible to stay in the EU and to cooperate with countries of origin.