The day after Emmanuel Macron’s call for “European solidarity” with Italy, Gérald Darmanin will speak by telephone with the Italian and German Interior Ministers, Saturday September 16, about the arrival of thousands of migrants on the island at the start of the week, announced the Ministry of the Interior. Germany had announced its intention to no longer accept refugees from Italy, accusing Rome of not respecting European agreements on the issue.
Von der Leyen will go to the island. The President of the European Commission announced a trip to Lampedusa on Sunday, accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The far-right leader had invited the head of the European executive, denouncing migratory pressure “unsustainable” for Italy.
Macron promises to help Italy. Europeans must not “not leave Italy alone in the face of what it is going through”declared the President of the Republic on Friday, calling for “the responsibility of the entire European Union”. He also pointed out the “boundaries” of the “strictly nationalist approaches”.
An almost unprecedented influx. Between Monday and Wednesday, around 8,500 people arrived on 199 boats, according to figures from the United Nations migration agency. This is more than the usual population of the island, whose reception center has fewer than 400 places. On Friday, several thousand exiles were transferred to Sicily.