The European Commission will, over the next few weeks, develop a model for implementing the conclusions of the European Council on “controlled centres”, that are to be set up in member states on a purely voluntary basis, for migrants picked up in the territorial waters of a member state, Commission spokesperson Natasha Bertaud announced on Monday 16 July (see EUROPE 12052 and 12051).
More time will be needed, however, for the concept of disembarkation platforms for people picked up in international waters. These platforms are to be set up in volunteer third countries with which discussions will be opened.
The European summit in October will merely be given an update on the platforms.
The Commission was responding to the concept of “controlled centres” just as Italy was once again refusing to allow vessels which had come to the assistance of migrants at sea to dock in its ports.
This on-going situation is “not sustainable in the long term”, warned the spokesperson.
At the weekend, Italian authorities detained two vessels for a period of time, one from the European border and coast guards (Frontex) and the other a vessel from the Italian tax authorities, which had rescued 450 migrants, while seeking member states that would agree to take them in.
On Sunday 15 July, the German government announced that Germany, following a similar decision by France and Malta, would take 50 migrants. Portugal and Spain agreed to do likewise.
At the end of last week, President of the Italian Council Giuseppe Conte wrote to the presidents of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the European Council, Donald Tusk, calling on them to do everything possible to implement the decision of the European Council.
Conte highlighted the principles of the action called for by the European Council, in light of prior conversations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the NATO summit last week and among the Italian, German and Austrian home affairs ministers in Innsbruck on Thursday 12 July. The ministers backed the idea of preventing migrants from reaching the EU coast but differed on action to be taken within the EU to manage the challenge of migration (see EUROPE 12061).
On Monday, the Commission confirmed that it had received the letter and said that it shared Italy’s “sense of urgency” of the need for action. (Original version in English by Solenn Paulic)