Brussels, 31/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Following Silvio Berlusconi's visit to Lampedusa, when he promised to “clear” this island of its, largely Tunisian, migrants in “two, two and a half days”, Italy repeated its call on Thursday 31 March to the other countries of the EU to take in some of Tunisian migrants, AFP reports.
This was a request that had already been made and that had been rejected on Wednesday 30 March by the European Commission, which took the view that it was Italy's responsibility to look after the migrants who did not qualify for international protection. According to figures from the EU border agency Frontex, quoted on Thursday by Michele Cercone, spokesman for Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, that would be almost 80% of the latest arrivals in Lampedusa.
Cercone said that only “15-20% of migrants” had asked for asylum. Italy will have to deal directly with Tunisia on the return of these so called “economic migrants”. EU funding is available to assist with management of migrants, he pointed out, and Italy received a total of €80 million in 2010-2011 to deal with the situation. Things are complicated by the reticence shown by the Tunisian authorities in taking back their nationals. “We are witnessing a flagrant lack of solidarity, on the part of France first and foremost”, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini is quoted by AFP as saying.
The Commission is trying to bring solidarity among member states with regard to those who need protection, such as Somali and Eritrean refugees still stuck in Libya or just arrived in Lampedusa. On Friday of last week, the Commission held a meeting on the resettlement of refugees in Europe, sounding out member states' willingness to take in refugees. According to a source, this meeting was not a success, with some states questioning the Commission's right to activate such a mechanism, which is based purely on member states' willingness to act. The matter is not closed, however, Cercone said at lunchtime on Thursday, and the issue will be discussed once again at the next meeting of the Council of Home Affairs Ministers in Luxembourg on 11 April. At this point, the Commission proposes to pursue two options in the debate: either resettlement of refugees in EU countries or resettlement in non-EU countries, which would be coordinated by the UNHCR, Cercone said.
On 30 March, the EU celebrated is second annual Resettlement Day. On the initiative of Rui Tavares (GUE/NGL, Portugal), several MEPs called for a common European, refugee resettlement scheme. At present, similar initiatives are possible in a number of member states, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom, where resettlement programmes exist. (S.P./transl.rt)