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The island of Lampedusa (Italy) is experiencing a massive influx of migrants. Faced with this situation, European heads of state are divided.
On the morning of Friday September 15, hundreds of migrants disembarked at the port of Lampedusa (Italy), before being transferred to completely saturated reception centers. The influx has decreased, but the situation remains extremely tense on the Italian island. 11,000 people have arrived since the start of the week, a record. Italy denounces abandonment of the European Union. Matteo Salvini, the Italian Minister of Infrastructure, says: “We’re going to have to handle this situation alone.” Overwhelmed, Italy began moving migrants to other reception centers in Sicily.
European differences
At the same time, Germany announced it was suspending the reception of migrants from Italy. Berlin accuses Rome of not respecting its obligations by letting migrants leave without registering their asylum requests. “In Germany too, the situation is very tense regarding the reception and care of migrants”estimates Maximilian All, spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry.
Taking the opposite view of Berlin, Emmanuel Macron extended his hand to Italy: “Our duty as Europeans is not to leave Italy alone.” Europe fails to find a common solution and reveals its differences in broad daylight.