The government may declare a national
state of emergency on migration at a cabinet meeting scheduled
for Tuesday afternoon, ANSA has learned.
Sources said the decision follows a meeting on Monday between
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Minister for Civil
Protection and the Sea, Nello Musumeci.
Speaking to Radio Anch'io on Tuesday, Musumeci described the
move as a "very likely scenario".
"I spoke with my Interior (Ministry) colleague Piantedosi
yesterday, there is a condition of absolute emergency," he said.
"It is a problem that is destined to remain with us for at least
the next ten years, a condition that puts state infrastructure
under strain and that is inevitable because we are talking about
human beings who have rights and toward whom we must take a
responsible approach," continued Musumeci, who is also the
former governor of Italy's island region of Sicily, the landing
place for many migrants and refugees arriving in Italy by sea.
"The state of emergency should facilitate procedures," said
Musumeci.
"We are talking about a phenomenon never seen in the past. The
islands alone cannot deal with this state of emergency," he
concluded.
In recent weeks Italy has seen a significant rise in the number
of migrants and refugees arriving on its southern shores from
north Africa, with over 3,000 people landing over the last three
days alone.
38 people have also been reported dead and a further 18 missing
in two shipwrecks off the coast of Tunisia.
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