The European Commission said
Wednesday that it was "in contact" with Rome after the Italian
government on Tuesday declared a national state of emergency
over the big rise in the number of migrants and refugees
arriving in Italy.
"The European Commission has taken note of Italy's decision to
declare a state of emergency over migrants," an EC spokesperson
said.
"It is a decision of a national nature and stems from a highly
difficult situation caused by the increase in the number of
arrivals.
"The Commission will examine in detail the measures foreseen (in
the decree)."
The spokesperson added that "Italy has asked for financial
assistance from the European Commission because of the increase
in migrant arrivals, in particularly to address the critical
situation in the Lampedusa (migrant) hotspot".
The spokesperson said that the EU already supports Italy "with a
wide range of measures" including "expertise on the field" and
stressing that "Italy is one of the main beneficiaries of the
fund for migration and integration".
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