Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi on
Tuesday thanked European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva
Johansson for visiting Lampedusa to see first hand the
difficulties Italy is experiencing in handling the arrival of
large numbers of migrants by sea.
The island is Italy's southern-most border and is often the
first destination that migrants and refugees seeking a new life
in Europe head for.
But the dangerous nature of the crossing from North Africa and
the unscrupulousness of the human traffickers mean that
countless migrants die at sea each year.
Furthermore, there has been a big increase in the already large
number of migrant boats arriving on Lampedusa since the start of
the year, frequency putting the island's migrant hotspot under
intense pressure.
"I want to thank Ylva Johansson," Piantedosi said.
"It is the first time that a European commissioner has come to
Lampedusa.
"We see it as a sign of Europe's closeness to the problems of
Italy, Lampeduca and the countries where the migrants arrive
first.
" Ylva Johansson's concrete presence was preceded by concrete
acts and it will be followed by others that the European
Commission is preparing to support Italy with this delicate task
of being the country of first entry".
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