Brussels, Sept 16 (AFP/APP): EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will visit the Italian island of Lampedusa Sunday with the country’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after migrant arrivals there surged, Brussels said.
Meloni has called on the EU to help relieve the pressure after some 8,500 people landed by boats over three days this week on Lampedusa, just 90 miles (145 kilometres) off the coast of Tunisia.
“President von der Leyen will be travelling to Lampedusa tomorrow on the invitation of Italian PM Meloni,” European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer posted online Saturday.
An Italian official confirmed the visit, but details were still being finalised.
The spike in arrivals has rekindled the debate over how Europe shares responsibility for asylum seekers.
Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island, has long been a landing point for migrant boats from North Africa. But this week its migration centre — built for fewer than 400 people — was overwhelmed.
Between Monday and Wednesday, around 8,500 people — more than the entire local population — arrived in 199 boats, according to the UN migration agency.
Images of thousands of people sleeping in the open air, scaling the perimeter fence and wandering around the town sparked anger among members of Italy’s hard-right government.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called the arrivals an “act of war”, and on Friday, Meloni urged the European Union to do more to help.
Von der Leyen — with Meloni’s strong backing — struck an agreement with Tunisia in July aimed at curbing the flow of irregular migration from the North African country.
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