Italy insists ‘no invasion’ after spike in migrant arrivals
ROME: Italy insisted Friday it was not facing an ‘invasion’ after a spike in migrant boat crossings from Libya exacerbated fears the country is on the verge of becoming the main entry point for people trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 6,000 mostly African migrants have landed at southern Italian ports since Tuesday but Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the overall trend this year was broadly in line with the 2015 pattern.
“We are not facing an invasion,” the premier told a press conference after the figures were released by the International Organisation for Migration in Geneva.
Fears are running high in Italy that it could pay the price of EU moves to close routes through the Greek Islands and the Balkans.
Italian officials are also wary of the possibility of neighbouring EU countries closing their borders, as France did temporarily last year and Austria is threatening to do now.
We have taken certain initiatives but we are not facing an invasion. It is a big problem but we have clear ideas about how to deal with it. — Matteo Renzi, Italy Prime Minister
Austria has begun preparing for a possible reintroduction of border controls at the Brenner pass in the Alps, prompting protests from Italy and the European Commission.
Renzi warned Friday of repercussions if Vienna did close the border.
“If the rules are broken we cannot act as if nothing has happened,” he said.
Italy’s interior ministry this week asked local authorities to find 15,000 extra beds to house asylum-seekers in anticipation of a possible increase in the numbers of people requiring accommodation.
“There is a problem that concerns our country but there is not an invasion underway,” Renzi said.
“We have taken certain initiatives but we are not facing an invasion. It is a big problem but we have clear ideas about how to deal with it.”
Renzi said the EU was working on deals with African countries to stem the flow of migrants leaving for Europe and to prevent those who do from being allowed to pass through transit countries.
The IOM said that of the 6,021 migrants who have reached Europe by sea since Tuesday, only 174 had landed in Greece, with the balance coming ashore in Italy.
Late Friday, Austria’s interior minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Vienna was anticipating a “significantly increased migration flow via Italy”. — AFP