Brussels, 10/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday evening 9 May in Brussels, MEPs re-examined the situation regarding immigration to the Italian island of Lampedusa and Sicily (at the beginning of 2011 Lampedusa and Sicily took in almost 60,000 migrants at the start of the Arab Spring). The exercise will involve an analysis of the results of a mission by a group of MEPs carried out in the region last November.
The subject is much less heated now that there has been a sharp fall in the number of migrants on Italian shores (just 709 people were intercepted during the first three months of 2012). The debate, however, still underlines the EU's need to remain on standby, faced with possible new crises breaking out and the possible influx of migrants that would accompany events of such magnitude. MEPs also underline the responsibility of the Italian authorities to maintain Lampedusa as a reception port for immigrants. The MEPs' demand was made following the announcement by the Italian authorities to renovate the port of Lampedusa, as some MEPs interpreted this as the Italian state no longer wishing to take in migrants. MEPs also highlighted the need for cooperation between the EU and third countries, such as Libya, with which it will need to develop new partnerships, such as the mobility partnership on which discussions are beginning with Tunisia. (SP/transl.fl)