Italy declares state of emergency due to increasing illegal immigration

On Tuesday, the Italian government decreed a state of emergency to deal with the increased migratory flow after more than 2,000 people were rescued in the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Council of Ministers at the proposal of the portfolio holder for Civil Protection and Marine Policies, Nello Musumeci, who said there had been a 300% increase in the arrival of migrants along the Mediterranean routes.

“Let me be clear: the problem cannot be solved.”

“The solution is only linked to a conscious and responsible intervention of the European Union”, has detailed Musumeci.

He also attended another meeting at the Ministry of the Interior to discuss possible solutions to the migration crisis.

This measure, which will be in force for six months, will provide the state structures with €5 million from the National Emergencies Fund with the aim, among others, of facilitating the reception of immigrants and reinforcing the tools for repatriation and expulsion.

This comes after Italian authorities reported on Monday that more than 2,000 migrants had been rescued in the Ionian and Mediterranean seas over the weekend.

The Italian Coast Guard specified that about a thousand migrants arrived in Lampedusa, of which a large part were minors.

With information from LGI