Countries that are members of the European Union (EU) reached this Wednesday (4) an agreement to reform their laws in response to large increases in the number of irregular immigration. The agreement was reached amid a sharp rise in illegal immigration on the Italian island of Lampedusa and after weeks of negotiations over a new EU crisis mechanism.
Under the new plan, European countries currently facing migration crises can request “solidarity contributions” from other countries in the bloc.
With this, they could relocate people seeking asylum in their territories to these European countries, which would take responsibility for processing these people’s asylum applications and also provide financial assistance to them.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the agreement, calling it a “real turning point.” Von der Leyen stated that it allows discussions on the topic to progress in the European Parliament, with the aim of guaranteeing a migration pact in time for the European parliamentary elections to be held in June 2024.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the deal a “historic turning point.” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned that Mediterranean states are currently facing “difficulties with high numbers” of illegal immigration.
Pressure for an agreement between the countries of the European bloc had been increasing due to the sharp increase in the number of refugees and immigrants crossing the Mediterranean towards Europe this year.
Almost 190,000 people reached the shores of southern Europe, including 133,000 in Italy. It is estimated that around 2,500 migrants died trying to reach the European continent.
#European #Union #countries #reach #agreement #deal #migration #crisis