ROME: Italy is seeking more cooperation with Tunisia against illegal migration as local mayors say the strain on reception facilities is becoming intolerable.
As the number of illegal migrants arriving in Italy reached 114,000 in the first eight months of this year — twice as many as in the same period in 2022 — Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a telephone conversation on Wednesday with Tunisian President Kais Saied.
The management of migratory flows “in light of the emergency that continues to affect both countries” was at the center of the talks, according to a statement issued by Meloni’s office.
It said she and Saied “agreed on the need to continue to scale up all-round efforts to strengthen the fight against illegal migration.” Meloni assured Tunisia of Italy’s “constant support.”
A source in her office told Arab News that Italy could soon provide the Tunisian coast guard with more patrol boats to help prevent the departure of dinghies carrying migrants.
“As the migrant situation is getting more and more complicated, Italy and Tunisia must definitely increase their cooperation to stop this flow,” Renato Schifani, president of the region of Sicily, told Arab News.
“Tunisia is the first country of departure for migrants who try to reach Italian shores, and Sicily is naturally the first place of landing for them. But if numbers don’t decrease, the situation will become unmanageable.”
The Italian Interior Ministry is trying to decrease intense pressure on Lampedusa, a stepping-stone island that is closer to Africa than to Europe. The number of migrants on the island recently surpassed 4,000. Its official capacity is just 400.
On Tuesday, more than half of the approximately 3,600 migrants who were at Lampedusa’s Imbriacola facility were transferred to cities on the mainland using ferries, planes and navy ships.
“But you don’t solve the problem just by moving migrants elsewhere. City councils have no resources or places to accommodate them, so it’s becoming intolerable,” said Schifani.
“The EU must do something, and European partners can’t just turn their face away as this is a global emergency.”
