Italy declares a state of emergency to deal with the increase in migratory flow in the Mediterranean

MADRID, 11 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Italian Government has decreed a state of emergency on Tuesday to deal with the increase in the migratory flow after more than 2,000 people were rescued in the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend.

The decision was made during a meeting of the Council of Ministers at the proposal of the head of the Civil Protection and Marine Policies portfolio, Nello Musumeci, who has stated that there has been a 300 percent increase in the arrival of migrants through the routes of the Mediterranean.

"Let me be clear: the problem cannot be solved. The solution is only linked to a conscious and responsible intervention by the European Union," said Musumeci, who also attended another meeting at the Ministry of the Interior to discuss possible solutions to the migration crisis.

This measure, which will be in force for six months, will provide state structures with five million euros from the National Emergency Fund with the aim, among other things, of facilitating the reception of migrants, as well as reinforcing repatriation and expulsion tools. .

This comes after Italian authorities reported on Monday that more than 2,000 migrants have been rescued in the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend. The Italian Coast Guard specified that about a thousand migrants arrived in Lampedusa, a large part of which were minors.