Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) Italy is planning to call on other EU member states to do more to fight against illegal migration, noting that the number of arrivals is rising.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will present Italy’s plan to EU peers at the summit in Brussels at the end of the week, according to Reuters reporting on Monday.
The document that lays out Italy’s position calls for sending more money to African countries and creating humanitarian corridors, stressing the importance of “more tangible commitment” from the bloc.
The money is to be used to strengthen border controls and the fight against human trafficking in countries along illegal migration routes, with Italy noting that the EU should invest in education, training and creation of jobs in African countries.
The summit in Brussels was convened after Austria and the Netherlands complained about rising illegal migration.
Rising numbers
The EU Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) reported roughly 330,000 illegal border crossings in 2022, up from approximately 200,000 in 2021 and the highest number since 2016.
The figure is still significantly lower than more than one million illegal crossings recorded in 2015, but migration remains a sensitive issue in the bloc.
At the end of 2022, Austria blocked Bulgaria and Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area citing migration concerns, with some bloc members proposing construction of border walls and others calling for processing asylum requests outside the bloc to curb illegal migration.
In preparation for the summit, Meloni presented her plan to other bloc members.
EU’s discussion on illegal migration will touch on NGOs that pick up and drop off migrants in EU countries, after Italy presented plans to limit their operation.
In the document, Italy warns that failure to coordinate activities “might place additional burden on coastal states” and proposes the creation of “European humanitarian corridors” to facilitate legal migration.
Italy also proposes mandatory quotas for EU member states to alleviate pressure from popular destinations and arrival countries.
The idea is opposed by Hungary and Poland, who have been critical of the bloc’s migration policies and refused to take in illegal migrants despite pressure from some EU counterparts.
