Brussels, 11/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - Italy needs urgent help from the EU in dealing with refugees, said the United Nations High Commission for Refugees on Friday.
Given its position on the map, Italy is the main entry point for thousands of refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria and problems elsewhere in the world. Over the past four days alone, it is estimated that the Italian navy has rescued 6,000 illegal immigrants who have managed to find their way across the Mediterranean.
The UNHCR says the European Union must help Italy set up a bigger number of processing and housing centres and find sustainable solutions for asylum seekers fleeing war and persecution. The UNHCR says there have been ten times more refugees arriving since the start of 2014 than during the first quarter of 2013.
Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Wednesday that 15,000 immigrants have arrived on the shores of Italy since the start of the year and 4,000 were rescued on Monday and Tuesday alone. He said this was a serious issue and Europe must deal with it immediately because this is a European border, not a Mediterranean border. (SP)