EU Chief To Visit Italy Amid Protests

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Lampedusa, an official said,

The visit comes as dozens of the Italian island’s citizens protested over a recent surge in migrant arrivals.

Italy’s Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni called on Friday for the European Union, EU to act jointly “with a naval mission if necessary” to prevent migrants from North Africa from crossing the Mediterranean.

Report say nearly 126,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, almost double the figure by the same date in 2022. Lampedusa has recently borne the brunt, with thousands of landings this week, more than the island’s permanent population.

“President Von der Leyen will be travelling to Lampedusa tomorrow on the invitation of Italian PM Meloni,” EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Meanwhile, the interior ministers of France, Germany, and Italy and some EU representatives discussed migrant issues during a phone meeting on Saturday, French minister Gerald Darmanin said in a post on X.

Germany has decided to keep taking in migrants and refugees arriving in Italy, Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser said on Friday, two days after it announced the suspension of an agreement with Rome to receive new arrivals.

“Today is a time first of all for solidarity with Italy and also for mobilisation by the European Union to come in support,” French Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne said, adding President Emmanuel Macron would speak to Meloni.

Protests
Meanwhile, dozens of Lampedusa residents held protests against a plan to build new tent camps to host migrants.

“I have two children at home. In the past years, I did not care about this issue. But now I have an instinct of protection for my children because I don’t know what will happen to Lampedusa in the future,” one of the protesters said.

“Lampedusa says stop! We don’t want tent camps. This message is for Europe and for the Italian government. Lampedusa residents are tired”, another protester said.

An image showed three women blocking a Red Cross truck carrying food for migrants.

Report says around 1,000 migrants arrived in Lampedusa today.

The Italian Coast Guard found a newborn baby dead on a boat carrying around 40 migrants to Lampedusa, adding the baby was born during the trip and died soon after birth.

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere